Prison Break
by Mugiwara no Eli
Summary: Luffy's on a mission: saving his friends from the police. He and the handful of friends remaining have a lot on their plates, this is not gonna be a piece of cake. Meanwhile, the captured party have problems of their own. sequel, ZoRo
1. Chapter 1

**"Prison Break"**

_Author's note:_

_Hey reader,_

_This is part two of the "Merry Dance Sunny Go School for Young Adults" fic. If you wanna know what happened, or understand certain references, please read it. Yeh, shameless punt for my writing, I cant force you to read anthing. But hopefully you will ;) please?_

_Anyway, please read, review and enjoy. XD_

_Elichan._

**Trapped**

The screeching sirens above Eli's head were calling. Then, a speedbump taken too fast made her jump off the chair and wake up.

"Shite!" she yelled, waking with a start. She landed and found her head on something like a very hard pillow. She opened the eyes she'd closed on landing. A face was staring at her. She ghasped and was against the door of the...car?

"Where am i? What's happening?!" last thing she remembered was being in Ace's office and there were two creeps. Who were currently driving the car.

"Lemme out!" she screamed.

"Eli." The man whose lap she'd been lying on said soothingly.

"Fuck it Ace. I want to get out!" she tugged on the door. "Why did you hand me over to them!? WHY!?"

Ace hung his head. "Eli it wasn't as if i…"

"THERE'S ALWAYS A CHOICE! I didn't want to go back to them!" She shuddered, remembering how badly she'd been treated as a patient at the mental institute.

Ace gave her a searching glance under the brim of his orange crocodile dundee style hat. So she still thought she was being taken to the institute?

That was the alibi used by the two men sitting in the front of this policecar. Doctors from the mental asylum she'd been kept in for ten years before attending the once prestigious Merry Sunny School. But he'd only found that out at the same time as he'd been arrested by these oddballs.

"Yoyoi! Pleeeeeeeeeease beeeeee silllllllent!" a tall man with a vast amount of pink rinsed hair turned over to look at the two on the back seat.

"Go stick your head in a pig, freak!" she screamed at him.

"Chapapapa, you have no people skills Kumadori."

"Fu-Fukurou!" the monkey with the pink hair looked towards the walking potato at the wheel with indignation.

"Chapapapa, you're giving me a headache. Just shut up the lot of you so we can get to HQ and get this lot into their prison cells."

"Prison?" Eli's eyes widened.

"I'm going to prison." Said Ace.

"Tziganu's going there till we can allocate a decent mental ward, chapapapapa."

"Fukurou, the…the ziiiiiiip's there foooor a reeeeeeeason!"

"I forgot! Chapapapa."

Ace heaved an exasperated sigh. If Eli deserved to go into a mental ward, then these two deserved straight jackets and to be hung from the ceiling.

"Ace, what is going on?" the girl's tone had changed. She wasn't yelling anymore. She was staring wide eyed at the backs of the two mens heads.

"Robin, Brook, Franky, Zoro, Nami and myself have been arrested. I don't know why the others are."

She nodded. She didn't want to ask pointed questions. She sat stock still, barely moving a muscle.

"Agh, chapapapa. Why couldn't we have taken the train?" Complained Potato Head

"Be Becaaaause Spandam taicho didn't have the moooney."

"And it's a week's drive to the capital." Ace sighed. Eli shot him a look.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Ages."

"Precisely?"

"the sedative should last 24 hours minimum, chapapapapa."

The girl half smiled. "That explains why I'm hungry."

Oddball passed her an apple. "Rrrrrrrrrrations."

"I'm not touching anything you give me." she was calm. Ace understood her completely. Who would take food from someone who'd practically kidnapped them, not to mention sedated them.

"And I'd stop the car if I were you." Her tone was dangerous. "If you don't want a mess on your nice leather seats.

The men turned to face each other horrified. She couldn't mean…

"what?"

None of them knew what to say.

"If you don't want piss everywhere, I suggest you stop." A great sigh of relief. Eli's expression became questionning, then she twigged the common fear. "God, guys immediately jump to the weirdest conclusions."

They were in convoi. There were three cars. Robin, Zoro and Franky found themselves packed in the back of one behind Spandam who was letting Lucci drive.

"Turn left." He ordered. The car veered right. "Left I said!"

"Spam has such a bad sense of direction, when he says left he mean's right." Lucci's face remained passive.

"Ah, I see." Franky sounded as though all his horizons had been broadened by that small comment. Spandam on the other hand was spitting feathers, as he had been doing for the past 24 hour drive.

Lucci looked into the rearview mirror. His car was leading, as you'd expect, what with the Head in it.

The car just behind him was flashing it's headlights. Three flashes. The sign for "pitstop". He turned to Spadam.

"Well?"

"Well what, Lucci!? You don't treat your boss that way if you want to stay employed."

"I was asking permission concerning the other's request."

"What request?"

"They are asking for a pitstop."

Robin listened to this conversation in silent contemplation. They'd had a pitstop a few hours ago. Either Ace had been given too much to drink or…

"Thank god." She muttered, getting strange glances from her fellow backseat passengers.

"What do you feel like saying, idiot woman?!" Spandam's fuse was rapidly losing it's length.

Taking Lucci as an example, she ignored him and turned to Zoro and Franky. "Eli's awake." She said.

"Ahh that's good." Franky sounded as though he was genuinely relieved. Zoro, on the other hand, wasn't quiet as happy about the situation.

"Pah. Is that anything to be happy about?"

"Will you stop ignoring me!" Spandam yelled, almost literally hitting the roof. "We continue." He added to Lucci.

Who pulled over at the next petrol station.

"LUCCI!"

"If the child is awake, she'll need the toilet. We'd be in trouble if something happened to those cars."

Spandams mouth would've hit the floor if that were at all possible. Why did no one EVER listen to him. He was the leader right. Behind him, Zoro chuckled.

"Serves you right, metal nose."

"Nice one!" Franky appreciated the insult.

Robin sighed. "Do either of you have any idea how serious the situation is?"

"Who cares?"

"It's hard to take it seriously when the operation's run by a moron, cut us some slack, Robbie."

"Robbie?" zoro looked questionningly at Franky, who shrugged.

"Just rolled off my tongue."

Lucci let them out of the car. Zoro immediately started doing squats to remove the stiffness from his legs, while Franky started inhaling.

"I LOVE the smell of petrol!" he declared for the umpteenth time. He then looked at the other cars and motorbikes hanging around, listening avidly to the sound of a motor as the owner revved it.

"That one doesn't sound healthy! Lemme fix it!" he made towards a guy in his early twenties, only to be yanked back by Lucci.

"They gave you a very apt title, Cyborg."

"Oi bub! Gerrof! That bike's gonna die, along with the driver!"

"But the driver's already left."

Next to this heated discussion, Potato Head and Oddball had opened the door to let the German woman take Eli to the toilet. Ace got out to stretch his muscles. Nami and Brook were standing by their car, a man with a long nose keeping a close eye on them. Nami looked as though she'd been crying and Brook looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.

"Where are Nero and Blueno?" Spandam asked. "Stupid layabouts. I'm surrounded by idiots!"

Just then two men left the petrol station's shop. One looked like he belonged in "Wind in the Willows", so much did he resemble a weasel. The other wouldn't have looked out of place chasing a red flag around a ring in Pamplona.

"Oh, Spam san has arrived." Said Weasel man.

"Nero, be quiet." Said the Bull in a voice so deep you'd think the earth itself had spoken.

"When did you two arrive?" asked Spandam, eyes on stalks.

"Hours ago, we've been waiting for you." Weaselly Nero said, looking at the captives with what could only be expressed as glee.

There was a large commotion inside the shop.

"Hell's Bells, what now?" Nero seemed too interested in everything for anyone's personal comfort. "There's a bratty girl running around the shop."

"Kalifa's not with her?"

"She's chasing her, catching up." Then they heard a stifled yell. "Well she was, the kid just kicked her in the stomach. She's landed on her back." The gleeful grin on Nero's face was probably what gave him the right to be named after the. megalomaniac emperor

At that moment Eli ran out from the exit on the other side. And ran straight into the guy with the long nose.

"Well done, Kaku!" Cheered Spandam. "A promotion in the ranks."

"Thank you sir." Kaku replied, though his tone was bored. Spandam smirked and walked up to the girl struggling against Kaku's grip in vain, like a fish in a net.

"Poor little mental child. It's alright, you'll be in a safe place soon."

"FUCK YOU AND YOUR SAFE PLACE! I WANNA GO HOME!" she spat in his face.

"Assaulting an officer. A criminal offence." Spandam wiped the saliva off his face. Perfect, now he had a reason to arrest her as well. He'd get his promotion for this. "You, Tziganu Eli are under arrest."

"I wanna go HOME!" she yelled at him, kicking him between the legs. She was still screaming for them to let her go home as they bundled her into the police wagon.

"Don't worry." Nero said to the onlookers. "she's an escapee from a mental institute. We're taking her into custody so we can get her better care." His smile never wavered. Everyone nodded, looking relieved and went back to their tasks.

"Come on the rest of you, into the cars."

And pushing and shoving, the others were stuffed into their cars and were driven off towards the capital.


	2. Chapter 2

**Heroes of Justice??**

Sanji's knuckles were white on the steering wheel of the van. He and the others had spent the night at his guardian's restaurant, trying to formulate a plan. Needless to say, this plan had proved wholly unsuccessful.

They'd listened to the morning news; the headline report had been the fire of the other day.

"The suspects are on their way to the capital where they will received judgement. If you see these people…" pictures of Zoro, Robin, Brook, Franky, Ace and Nami had flashed up on the screen behind the newsreader. "Notify your local police department. They are known criminals and reprobates. I repeat contact your local police department. We have been informed that the police who are taking these men and women hostage have a girl with them." Eli's first and last school photo flashed up. She had been confused that day and had moved her head, so she looked a bit mental in the photo. "On no account is she to be approached, she is an escaped lunatic from St Vegapunk's Mental Institute. Do not approach this girl."

"Isnt she the girl from the bakery?" Zeff had been watching the television from behind a counter, drying glasses. "She seemed quite nice. I was thinking you should talk to her sometime, Sanji."

"Not a Chance, Old Geezer! She's a student at that school I got a part timer for. She stomped on my eye."

"You didn't even remember that until I told you she was feral!" Tsuki interjected.  
"Anyway, it doesn't matter! We need to do something. I'm not acting as a waitress while that lot are given a life sentence."

"RIGHT!" Luffy had stood up, stuffing a whole bacon sandwhich in his mouth. "Oshan, coul' you 'end ugsh a caa?"

The restaurant owner, who's second language was mouthful, nodded. "The only thing big enough would be the old ice cream van Giovanni gave us with this place, it used to be an icecream parlour back in the day."

And here he was, sitting in a freezing bucket of bolts with a beautiful girl in the passenger's seat with her mind too focussed to be worth a punt at flirting with and three morons in the back doing God knows what!

"100 in the bed and the little one said

Roll Over! Roll Over

So they all rolled over and one fell out

And bumped his head and gave a shout:

"Do please, remember to tie a knot in you pyjamas

Single beds are only made for

1, 2, 3, 4,….99" in the bed."

What's worse is that this song had already lasted them since 250 people in the single bed.

"CAN IT!" he leaned over his seat and hollered at the three brats in the back. "JUST SHUT UP!"

"Awwww, Sanji."

"Don't "sanji" me! I'm sick of knowing how many people can go into a single bed."

"Unless its you and 249 women." Said a dry voice beside him.

"Tsuki!"

"Leave them do as they please, this journey's gonna take us ages, and what's more we're stuck in traffic."

Tsuki had let her hair down from it's habitual french braid. It fluttered in the ventilation, framing her face beautifully. She was wearing large sunglasses to hide her eyecolour as she refused to wear contacts.

"Why hide them?" Luffy had asked, genuinely confused.

"Because they're easy to trace." Had been the reply and that was that.

"Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,

Ten green bottles hanging on the wall,

And if one green bottle should accidentally fall

There'll be nine green bottles hanging on the wall."

This was going to be a long, long, loooong trip. "Tell you what, guys. Instead of bottles, have sticks of dynamite."

"Huh? Why?"

Sanji sang: "If one stick of dynamite should accidentally fall, there'll be no sticks of dynamite and no fucking wall."

The boys thought that was a great laugh and rolled about on the floor of the melted refrigetor part. Then started singing it over and over again. Sanji sighed.

"Shit! What's with this traffic! It's a weekday for heaven's sake!"

"Who cares!" Tsuki's attitude was even colder than the freezer behind. "Where are we anyway?"

"We're approaching some seaside resort."

"Then hopefully these gits will turn off."

The gits didn't turn off and by that time, Luffy, Chopper and Usopp were all bored of singing banal songs and had started playing "I spy". Something Sanji preferred to the singing. However, the traffic seemed endless and he'd been staring at the same bumper and number plate for well over an hour.

"GOD!" He yelled in frustration, slamming his fist on the dashboard and parping the horn for all it was worth. It didn't help matters that the horn of the ice cream van was a very cheerful tinkling.

"I don't BELIEVE this!"

They turned a bend in the motorway. A lorry had skidded and the merchandise had crushed several cars behind it. there were blue lights flashing everywhere and cars were being allowed through a small gap in the wreckage, single file.

"My god." Sanji's tone lost it's harshness. "I don't believe this."

"You don't believe much do you?" Tsuki said, the temperature of her voice freezing the back of Sanji's neck.

"Tsuki san, look at that. That's just amazingly beat up!"

"It is, but we just have to deal with it." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear without thinking. "What a pain."

"Vivi!"

"Huh? No Chopp, I said "something beginning with b" not v."

"No, Vivi!" the boy poked at the window.

Sitting on the hard shoulder, fingers moving with frantic rapidity on the key pad of a mobile phone, was a girl. Her blue dyed hair was tied up in a poney tail, and there was a long scratch on her cheek.

"Sanji pull over."

"Gotcha." Sanji would do anything for a damsel in distress. Tsuki rolled her eyes.

"And how do you propose to get to the capital ASAP?"

They pulled over anyway.

"hey Vivi!" Usopp yelled from the little glass window usually reserved for handing out icecreams.

"Usopp? What are you doing in an ice cream van?" she asked. "Actually don't answer." She was not in the mood for some farfetched tale of bravery.

"What about you?" asked another voice.

"Luffy!"

The boy laughed. "Yep. And Chopper. And Tsuki. And Sanji."

"What are you guys doing?!"

"Going to save niichan and the others."

Vivi blinked. If Luffy said something like that, it was probably true. Or at least, he thought it was true.

"Usopp, you shouldn't put ideas in people's heads."

"I didn't! it was Tsuki's idea!"

Now Vivi was really confused.

"What about you?"

"Dad insisted I go home."

"But you're a foreign student arent you?" asked chopper, leaning on the ice cream serving hatch.

"Yeah. I had to wait for Pell to get here, but now our car was crushed under the crates."

"You survived?!"

"Pell's a good body guard." She looked at the man standing next to her. He had a few cuts and looked fairly beat up.

"CHRIST!" chopper jumped out of the van. "Thank god I took my work experience." He immediately started examining and messing around with his first aid kit that he took everywhere.

"I thought you wanted to be a vet?" Usopp asked with curiousity.

"I do, but the only work experience I could get was at a real hospital." When he'd finished fussing, he asked. "Where are you going?"

"We're booked on a flight at the capital, but at this rate, we're going to miss it." said Pell, obviously grateful for being treated with such kindness.

"Hop in. we're going the same way." Sanji's visible eye was looking oddly heart shaped.

"Really?"

"Yeh, there's room."

"It's just as uncomfortable as hell." Usopp warned.

"Anything's better than standing on the road. Thanks so much, guys!" Vivi got in, followed by Pell.

"You look weird!" exclaimed Luffy. "Why are you wearing a dress?"

"It's the traditional dress. Vivi sama's the daughter of"

"Enough Pell."

Everyone looked at her.

"Father's a politician in Egypt." She said. That was all she was going to say. They didn't need to know he was the president. Nor did they need to know that she was here so as to keep away from the assassination attempts.

"Cool! Egypt? You're Egyptian? I'd never have guessed!"

"Yeah." She shrugged.

They returned to the mass of cars, squeezed past the lorry and drove off at a much faster pace.

"Thank god there's a second driver." Sanji said after about half an hour. "Then we can take it in turns. We'll be there in record time!"

"Agreed." Pell nodded. "A bee line to the capital."

Vivi smiled. "Sanji you're a life saver."

"A hero." He corrected her.

Luffy laughed, holding his hat. "we're all heroes. Heroes of justice!"


	3. Chapter 3

Desperate Times

Robin lay on a hard mattress, gazing up at the damp patch on the ceiling. She'd seen a movie once, this couple had squatted in the house the woman was supposed to be getting clients interested in. that damp patch in the bedroom ceiling had made black stuff fall from the ceiling which in turn had alerted every one in the block of flats that the owner of the flat above the one to be sold had died and his pet cat had been eating at the dead corpse to remain alive.

She sighed, nothing interesting like that happened in real life. Even if the man upstairs was dead, the chances that he had a cat were slim, and that of then having to look for treasure under his kitchen floor was even less likely. She sighed again and turned to get into a more comfortable sleeping position, which was nearly impossible with her hands clasped behind her back.

She was sharing a room with Nami and Eli, both of whome were asleep. Kalfia, the German woman, was sitting in a chair, wide awake and watching Robin's every move. Somehow, she was managing to file her nails at the same time.

They had stopped at a motel en route to the capital. It was cheap accomodation and had agreed to provide a discount due to the seriousness of the situation. The men were in the room next door, she could hear Franky and Zoro's loud, echoing snores through the thin walls. She sighed. Being an insomniac was one thing, not being able to sleep on a hard bed with loads of noise and a glaring woman were another.

"Excuse me?" the woman they called Kalifa shot her a dangerous glance from her hitherto uninterupted examination of her nails.

"I'm sorry, but I cant sleep like this. Would you mind terribly just taking off the cuffs for tonight?"

Kalifa glared. She'd already lost face with her partners because of the petrol station incident. The brat had managed to sneak out of the toilet cubicle while Kalifa had been touching up her eyeliner! How sneaky was that? Then she'd caused a scene in the petrol station. Of course, Kalifa'd get demoted for that little stunt alone. Now the other one was asking to have her cuffs removed. Not on her watch.

"You must think that I am stupid, Nico Robin." She said, brandishing the nail file in Robin's direction.

Indeed I do, she thought, you're an imbecile who managed to let a teenager run away.

There was a knock at the door, which Kalifa answered instantly.

"Yes?"

"It's me." She opened the door, letting the man with the long nose enter.

"Kaku?"

"We're to be promoted."

The woman looked confused. "Me as well?"

"Yes."

"The reason?"

"Upholding your duty and chasing the escaping convict."

She nodded, looking at Kaku. She felt herself ease up, completely forgetting that Robin was awake. Her posture changed, as did her attitude and tone of voice.

"Kaku."

His mirrored hers. "Kalifa."

Before Robin could blink or protest, they were in each others arms, kissing.

"Excuse me?" they ignored her.

"Hello?" still ignored her. Robin turned over, facing the wall. Eli and Nami were sharing a double bed while Robin was forced onto the single bed beside the damp stained wall.

So not only did she have the discomfort of the handcuffs to worry about, but she also had a pair of amorous policemen behind her.

If Robin thought she had it bad, Eli had it worse. She was alseep, it's true, but the cuffs had cut into her wrists which were rough and bleeding. Of course, she didn't know. She was more concerned with the nightmare she was having.

_A firey building crashed down behind her, people were screaming. Someone was calling her name, calling her forwards. She ran towards it, tears streaming down her cheeks. They sizzled on her face, it was so hot. She was in a corridor. Desks were burning and the blackboards weren't green anymore. A window was open, she jumped through it. she was in the courtyard of the school. The voice called her and she ran to it. _

_ Three boys ran, their silhouettes the only thing she could see. Similarly, two other silhouettes, one of them a girl, were fidgetting around with the grass border next to a fence. They stood up, waiting for a second, then the taller silhouette pulled the girl away. Curious, Eli walked up to the figure they'd left. A mutilated corpse, blood trickling down it's blood face. She stared. Then the head turned. James! Slowly, he opened his eyes, his bright blue eyes that seemed to have lost their irises._

"_It's your fault!" his voice, a harsh croak, accused her. Eli could do nothing but scream. Corpses, all burnt and bleeding accused her from around the school._

_ She screamed and then she was at a grave, watching a sobbing mother bury her son. She turned to look at Eli. "This is all your fault." She tripped and the blame fell on her._

_ She tripped and the blame fell on her along with the accusers._

Eli woke up with a scream. She sat up with difficulty and looked around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. A hand came across her cheek in a slap. She looked up. The German woman had slapped her across the cheek. She wanted to press a hand to her burning cheek but couldn't. all she could do was sit there and cry. Cry because of her dream, cry because of her aching cheek and cry for the situation she was in. it was her worst nightmare, and in fact her first. She wanted someone to comfort her, to know that someone was there, someone who actually cared.

She was slapped again.

"When you are slapped, it is a way of telling you to be quiet, stupid child. If you persist in your crying it will be a third."

Eli bit down on her lip to keep from making any noise. That didn't stop the tears. Satisfied, Kalifa moved off to her chair, sat down and took out her nail polish.

Robin, woken from her own light doze by the scream glared at the woman. How could she be so heartless? She tried to sit up, wanting to comfort Eli the way she should've been comforted.

That's when the strangest thing possible happened.

"Poor little Eli chan." Nami had said those words countless times as the school bully. But this time, her tone of voice was completely different. She sat up and offered the crying girl her shoulder to lean on.

Eli looked at her, not knowing whether or not it was safe to depend on Nami's comfort. The girl had been the biggest bully at school and heartless to boot.

Nami shuffled over, touching eli's wrist.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, she sounded worried. Eli shrugged through her tears. The state of her wrist was the last thing on her mind, though now that she knew her wrist was bleeding, the pain and soreness caused by the cuffs decided to make themselves known, adding to her tears. She was having a hard time keeping her sobs silent. They were wracking her shoulders and she was shaking. She dared not open her mouth to say anything for fear of being slapped a third time by the heartless cow.

"Aww now, come here." Nami would've hugged her if her hands hadn't been clasped behind her back by her own cuffs.

Eli looked up at her, her eyes bloodshot and scalding their sockets. She was already feeling the dull ache at the front of her forehead that came from crying. She desperately needed kindness, and right now, it didn't matter who from. She leaned against her old enemies shoulder and cried till the tears ran out, Nami comforting her in the best way she could; through words alone.

Kalifa was glaring at them from her seat. She could do nothing but glare. They'd been whispering and hadnt been making enough noise to wake anyone, the reason she'd slapped Eli in the first place. It was pathetic!

"Sleep, both of you." She said harshly.

"Get bent!" nami hissed at her.

"I agree." Said Robin, standing up. She walked over and sat on Eli's other side. "Hush now, Eli. Nothing's worth this many tears. Nothing." well, that was a lie and a half. Everything about this situation was worth crying about. Hell, it was worth screaming about. But of course, they weren't going to let them express themselves.

The room next door was alive with tacit activity. The male captives had woken up when Eli screamed and were now standing, trying to leave their room to check up on their companions. Of course the way was blocked by the muscular guards and the wimpy leader.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the latter.

"To check up on the others. Are you obtuse?" asked Ace.

A thin smile stretched itself over the wicked little man's features. "You are not going anywhere, Portogas D Ace." He took out a stun gun from his pocket. "Unless you refuse to cooperate, I wont have to use this."

Zoro, Franky, Ace and Brook stared at the little gun in the man's hand. Better to know what was happening than to be stunned into submission was a silent consensus.

"Now get back to the beds and sofa, and no one need feel this little feller." Said the masked maniac.

Reluctantly, the men went back to their beds; Brook to the sofa. They all stared at the ceiling, wondering what torture the girl's were going through. Zoro was the most worried. What were they doing to Robin?


	4. Chapter 4

**"Are we there yet?"**

Long drives are painful. They are the most tortuous of any form of modern transport known to man, barr walking obscene distances, which doesn't really count, since no one would be stupid enough to walk obscene distances as opposed to using a bicycle or moped.

Anyway, fact of the matter is, long drives are painful for several reasons:

the driver's legs are stiff from pedal pushing all day.

The driver is irritated at nearly everyone, those sitting in the car with him or her and the lunatics driving.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is bored out of their minds. And tired.

"Sanji! We there yet?!" Luffy whined for perhaps the zillionth time.

"Another three days!" sanji hissed around the butt of a cigarette he was not allowed to light. He desperately wanted to, but no one else wanted to be in the confined ice cream van when it was full of cigarette smoke. He was so tempted to just light it and bugger the consequences. But he couldn't go against a lady, and there were two of them in the back.

Tsuki had given up her cushy seat at the front for the hardness of the small bench in the back so that Pell could sit up front and do a regular swap with sanji at a moment's notice.

Right now, the three boys, Vivi and Pell were asleep. Tsuki couldn't sleep. She'd be haunted by dreams. Dreams of fire, of rust red water, of gunshots and screams.

You're cursed, Tenshi no Tsuki. She thought to herself.

" FINALLY!" sanji's harsh exclamation dragged her out of her well of self pity, something she was semi annoyed about and semi grateful for. When you're planning to bust your teachers, boyfriend and cousin out of prison, going emo is the last thing you need.

"What?" she asked coldly. She was in no mood for Sanji's stupidities.

"A petrol station."

"Good cos I'm bursting for a loo." Usopp said groggily waking up from an uninterrupted slumber which had lasted four hours.

Tsuki sighed. Four hours. That was the maximum sleeping hours a day. Not only did the dreams perpetually try to drive her crazy, but the motion of the vehicle itself didn't help.

Sanji pulled into the petrol station and every one bailed out of the icecream van.

"You fill up." He told Pell. "I need a smoke." And so saying, he walked away from the station to a little grass bank thing and lit the fag.

As everyone went about their business in the shop, be it buying sweets or sandwhiches or just taking a leak, Tsuki sat on one of the random concrete blocks that dotted themselves around the petrol station. She watched Sanji. He was probably the only person she knew who could actually look cool holding a cigarette. Most people look idiotic, but Sanji, with his hair covering half his face, tinted a pale bluey grey by the light of the night., actually looked handsome. Even with his question mark eyebrow. Never as handsome as Ace, but attractive none the less.

Her mind began to wander. Ace, where was he? How was he? Luffy'd be upset if something was wrong with him. Luffy.

Not for the first time, her mind turned to the boy in the straw hat. Why was it that she constantly wanted him to touch her? NO not "touch" her, perverts. Just longed for him to put a hand on her shoulder. Or to clutch her wrist like he had when she had almost punched the gay/girl. Or her chee…..SHUT UP MIND!

Now she felt guilty again. Why should she be feeling guilty? She hadnt done anything! But that didn't make the guilt disappear.

Think of something else! Her mind immediately turned to Ace and his imprisonment.

Tsukis head fell into her hands, fingers clutching at her hair. Why did she have no happy thoughts? _Because you're cursed._ Why could she not find anything better to think about. _Because you're cursed._ Why did this happen in the first place? _Because you're cursed._ So everything's her fault? Why? _Because you're cursed._

Tsuki sighed at herself in exhasperation. "Fuck you, Eli!" it was her fault she was thinking of curses! She'd been into occultish stuff like tarot and ghosts when she'd just arrived and kept saying it had something to do with "the gypsies".

Eli'd spent ten years in a mental institute. Not that anybody had tried to explain that to her when she'd been there. The first nurse she'd had, some Hawkins guy, had told her he was a gypsy so she immediately associated the whole institute with gypsies. Not as stupid as Tsuki originally thought, now she reconsidered it. but still! Fuck her for getting Tsuki messed up about curses. And fuck her for getting arrested.

"Tsuki!" she looked up just in time to catch the baguette lobbed at her by Luffy.

"Nice catch." He said, grinning. He, Usopp and Chopper sat down near her and munched on their similar baguettes.

"Luffy, think you can eat another half?" Tsuki asked. She wasn't particularly hungry, but she forced herself to eat something, anything or else she'd collapse.

As per usual, Chopper glared at Tsuki. His doctor's sense never gave her a break, but after three days of this, he'd shut up and let it be.

"Shanksh!" he said through a mouthful of ham'n'cheese. She broke her cheese'n'lettuce and put the bigger half in the bag petrol stations served the baguettes in and handed it to luffy, nibbling on the remaining chunk. Three days of petrol station baguettes, it was starting to get boring.

Usopp yelled at Sanji, who crushed the butt of his cig under his foot and came to join them. He ate his sandwhich in silence, analysing every mouthful. He'd done this aloud up until the day before when someone had made a complaint about wanting to enjoy their food without having the quality of it's ingredients listed. Tsuki couldn't have agreed with Usopp more than she had then.

Vivi and Pell joined them and together the little band munched on their food in silence.

"I'm still hungry!" the usual moan.

"Luffy. A quick question?"

"Hmmm?"

"did a black hole replace your stomach when you were a kid?"

He considered the question, then opened his mouth to answer when an engine revved a ways away.

The icecream van, which Pell had parked a bit farther off was leaving without them.

"OI!" yelled a chorus of seven voices.

"Wahahahaha!" laughed a crazy looking man, sitting in the drivers seat. He poked his head out of the window.

Someone clearly needed to give this guy some fashion tips. He'd done his hair in a messed up topknot which he'd gelled to make a number with. He was wearing glasses that looked like the goggles people wore to protect their eyes from chlorine in swimming pools, and in all honesty, he was as ugly as sin. His weird sense of style did nothing to improve this.

"This van is now the property of the mafia!"

"Oi, you bastard, give us back our van!" Luffy sprang to his feet, placing one on the concrete block.

"I just said it was mafia property."

"Which branch? I'll go kick the head's ass!"

The man's face became a mask of pure confusion. This guy was an idiot, he had to be.

"This is the property of the Baroque Works Family."

"Who's the head?"

"Luffy!" Usopp whispered. "He'll think you're serious. You're overdoing it."

"What do you mean, Sopp? I am serious." Usopp's face was easily as horrified as the crazy man's.

The man got out of the van. Tsuki noticed a passive looking girl in the passenger seat. She was wearing a dorky hat and hold a can of Coke in both hands. She sipped from it.

"Stay there, Miss Goldenweek. I'll be done before you realise anything's happened." Said Weirdo.

"Oi, Three Man!"

"It's Mr Three!" he swaggered away from the van.

Oh great, one of those types! Thought Tsuki, one of those who think they're all big but are really not better than the sewer rats the mafia bases are full of.

True, Tsuki had never actually been to a mafia base, but they had to be shit holes to produce evil people low enough to burn down a harmless town. She corrected herself, the police had done the same and then pushed the blame on students and teachers. The world had turned on its head! What was she supposed to believe now?

Luffy walked up to the man and faced him. His smile had melted into a hard line and refrozen.

The man strapped something that looked like biker's gloves to his hands with metal knuckle guards.

"Prepare yourself, brat." He said cooly. Or rather, it would've been cool if he hadnt been so uncool!

What happened next was so quick that noone really saw what happened in it's entirity.

Luffy got into a boxing stance, glaring at the eejit opposite him, a scowl across his face. His opponant took up a similar stance and started throwing punches at Luffy.

Tsuki remembered thinking "he's good!" when all of a sudden, Luffy, who'd dodged these expertly, gave the guy an uppercut to the jaw.

The fight then got into a frenzy, Luffy was up against a mafiosi after all. It couldn't have been that easy.

The boxing match was fast and furious, and finally a thoroughly bruised Luffy was on the ground. Chopper was doing his nut, but then Luffy pushed himself off the ground and went for a third round.

In which, Mr Three got the pummelling of his life.

"Gattling gun!" yelled Luffy, hitting the wierdo in every available part of his body with a hailstorm of punches.

The mafiosi was on the ground, coughing up blood. Luffy just stared at him then said to the girl. "Get out of our van."

She acted as though nothing had happened, climbed out of the van and sat next to the bruised and bleeding man.

"LUFFY!" a freaked out Chopper ran over, first aid kit in hand and started patching his comrade up.

"Quiet down, Chopp. I've had worse."

"How could you have had worse?"

"Grandad's a violent git." He grinned.

"Guys, get into the van quick, before someone decides to make off with it!" yelled Sanji.

They all came out of their trances of after battle victory and piled into the uncomfortable van.

Tsuki stared at Luffy for a good long while afterwards. He and the others were asleep, which allowed her to do so without appearing rude or uncanny.

He was so strong. He could take down a fully grown man, no sweat. He could protect her.

She shook her head, she didn't need protecting! She'd do it herself! She'd done everything on her own since the great fire, and a stupid guy like Luffy would have no interest in helping her get her vengeance, so she was still alone.

Or she would be, if she didn't get Eli back!


	5. Chapter 5

Trapped in the tin can again. This time, stuck with Brook. Eli hadn't had him for a teacher, and the skeletal man with the afro wasn't much of a comfort. His bowel problems werent helping matters either.

"Please, sir, open a window." She pleaded with the driver as Brook let another one rip.

Nero nodded. Let's just say everyone was inconvenienced by this fact, and all the windows were opened.

"I beg your pardon." Said the guilty party.

No one said anything. Instead, Blueno put the radio on. Folk music blared out of the car's speakers. Eli looked up, it was a song she knew! Streams of Whiskey!

"I have cursed, bled and swore,

Jumped bail and landed up in jail,

Life's always tried to stretch me

but the rope always went slack."

How had she ended up in jail anyway? Life really was trying to stretch her. Nothing she could do about that. That conclusion surprised her. She was right, she'd done nothing wrong, she was just being tested by fate. But she wouldn't give in, she'd slacken the rope.

No point in letting them know you're upset anymore, just act like Zoro and Franky; like this is no big deal. They'll get bored and leave you alone.

This brief consideration period was enough to help her zen. She smiled to herself at the Tsuki-ism.

How was she, actually? Probably back in social services waiting for a means of completing her education so that she could become a journalist.

"why a journalist?" Eli asked interested.

"Cos." Was the anser she got.

"Fine, well I don't know what I wanna do after school. Go to uni, I guess."

"Tcheh! Like any uni would accept a nut case." Tsuki teased.

"You're probably right." Eli looked down at her hands on the bedsheet.

"Christ, you werent sposed to take that seriously!"

"I wasn't?"

"No!" silence for a moment, then… "I want to be a journalist so that I can follow my brother and find out what's happening first hand."

"You don't want to join the police? Then you could save him." Eli looked up at her. She was such a kid!

"Ugh, there is such a thing as corruption, El." Tsuki sighed, the look on Eli's face showed there was yet another word that she didn't know. "Corruption: where people use bribes and stuff to make sure that they get what they want done." She explained. "Akihide being the bastard he is, he's probably bribed the police not to notice Jiko."

"Oh."

Another long, uncomfortable silence.

"I think it suits you."

"What now?"

"Journalism."

"Thanks."

"I mean, you're always writing and making up strange stories about Nami."

"I don't "make up" stories. I write the truth!"

"sorry!" Eli immediately apologised. She'd been on such bad terms with Tsuki till the beginning of this week and so started apologising for nearly everything. Tsuki sighed with exasperation and turned back to the article the journalism club had asked her to write. She'd been asked to try and do a "keep the school clean" article. She'd successfully turned it into the scandal of the toilet vandal. Someone kept purposefully blocking the toilets and writing all over them. She was going to expose them!

"I'll be a freelance journalist and I'll find him." Was the last thing she said before Eli had fallen asleep.

Eli smiled at the memory. That'd been over a year ago now. She hummed the tune of the next song to come up.

No one noticed her humming till the radio suddenly switched to the local news station and she continued.

"SHUT UP!" Nero turned in his seat to yell at her.

Blueno fiddled to reduce the static, till the newsreader's voice was clear.

"We interrupt your listening to announce that the suspects for the great fire at the reknown Merry Dance Sunny Go School for Young Adults are currently being taken through the area. You are advised not to leave the saftey of your homes as escape attempts have been made by the girl known as Tziganu Eli. She has been a patient at St Vegapunk's mental institute for the past ten years before attending said school. She is the primary suspect as regards the cause of this fire, which killed many." There then came a list of names of the students and teacher's who had died, then… "And Hamlet James. We offer the usual one minute silence for these people's memories."

Eli sat there stunned.

"Fire?" no one said anything.

"What fire?!"

"Eli san, don't you know?" Brook asked her.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking! WHAT HAPPENED!?" Eli was on the brink of hysterics. Why was no one going to explain anything?

"You let off the fireworks under the administration offices. They caught fire and those people died in it."

"I didn't!"

"Eli san."

"I didn't do it! I'd remember!"

"would you now?" Asked Mr Weasel. "Would a little raving lunatic remember killing her father?"

"No!" Eli stared at him, eyes the size of soup plates. Horrid, vivid images of a bloody face, hers, staring back at her from a mirror. Then another face behind hers, the man she'd killed. And a third, not bloodstained but sad, that of her mother. Memories of nightmares.

"Would the little lunatic remember attacking nurses left right and centre at St Vega's?"

"No!" Hurt faces swam before her eyes.

"Would the little lunatic remember attacking a certain Hamlet James upon entering the martial arts club at the Merry Sunny?"

"No." she was having difficulty keeping the sobs at bay, the memories were too vivid. It wasn't that she didn't remember, it was that she couldn't afford to remember. Not if she wanted to be strong. She felt the tears rush to her eyes.

"Then how would the little lunatic remember dropping a match amongst fireworks?"

He'd twisted her answers! The rat had twisted her answers. She was the villain. She'd done this.

"It's all your fault." James had said in her dream. "All your fault….all your fault…..fault….all". the words echoed in her head. The tears brimmed and fell, little dew drops on the leather seats.

"Stop." She moaned, images still flashing in front of her; her parents, the nurses, James, the invisible dead students and teachers. "Go away, stop, no. please."

Brook stared at her. Was this a confession? Did she really kill them all? Would she kill him? He wanted to live! He shifted himself away from her, he didn't want to taint himself with a mass murderess.

Eli noticed that the presence near her had moved away and the tears fell faster. He blamed her, they blamed her. She was evil. A curse. A killer. Something disgusting and low, like dog muck on the sole of a shoe.

They stopped at a petrol station. Eli didn't get out of the car. She sat there staring at a fixed point as though it were the most interesting thing on earth. Points in 3D space.

The title of her maths lesson floated to the top of her mind. She chuckled sardonically. She'd spent so much time trying to prove herself to the maths teacher. And for what? And not just the maths teacher. She'd tried to prove herself to everyone, that she was worthy of being a part of their group, their society. Yet you cant escape your past, you're forever marked, stained. Like Lady Macbeth and the "damned spot".

Her head hurt and her eyes stang. She couldn't cry anymore, the wells of tears had dried and the salt was caking itself in her tearducts.

"Move along, move along. OUT!" yelled Spandam, doing the usual foot stamping act.

Robin entered the car. Eli looked the other way. She didn't want to taint anyone else.

"Eli chan?"

She didn't say anything.

"Eli chan, look at me." As usual, Robin and her ESP had found something amiss with the car's ambiance.

Slowly, she turned to look. Her eyes a steaming red, nose dribbling where she couldn't get a tissue, even if it were at all possible to wipe it.

"What's wrong?"

Eli shook her head, she couldn't talk around the lump that had reappeared in her throat.

"Eli chan?!"

The tears again. No sobs, just streaks down her cheeks. "it's my fault, isnt it?"

"What is?"

"Everything." And with that she disolved into sobs on the shoulder of her favourite teacher.


	6. Chapter 6

**Complications.**

There was nothing more to say. What could be said? The van had broken down. Period.

"Stupid ancient shitty bucket of shitty worthless pieces of SHIT!" sanji kicked the bumper in frustration, leaving a small dent in the aluminium. If you cared to look, that is.

Tsuki's usually sharp eyes were fixed on the smoke curling out from under the bonnet. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes betrayed the dismay and astonishment she was really feeling.

Usopp looked out from under the bonnet, his face a blackened mass from the smoke, eyes watering, a smear of oil on his nose. He coughed violently, chest heaving, gulping desperately at the fresh air, well the almost fresh air, out of the cloud. It tasted great after having been stuck in those god-awful fumes for so long.

"Well?!?!?!" asked several different voices at once. Vivi and Chopper in quiet, anxious voices. Pell and Tsuki in austere, neutral, flat tones, trying as hard as possible to remain neutral. Sanji in his furious hysterics. And Luffy in his bored and waiting for something interesting to turn up voice, one that had been heard too often by all.

This last person, after having caught a glimpse of his best friend's face, burst out laughing, and the question he'd just asked lost all importance. His next utterance were three words that were on no value whatsoever, and as such were immediately ignored by the others.

"YOU LOOK FUNNY!"

Having recovered his breath, Usopp turned to the others, bent double and blinking furiously. It was obviously fake.

"I think I'm going to faint." He put a forearm over his forehead, leaning back, a look of anguish on his face.

"I don't give a fuck!" Yelled Sanji, tugging Pell's newspaper from it's owners hands, rolling it up quickly and whacking Usopp over the head with it. "The" whack. "Van!!!" whack.

"AH!" the boy yelled, holding his head with one hand, protecting himself from a possible recounter with the newspaper with the other.

"I've tinkered around with it a bit, but we need a pitstop and fast."

The boy had a way with words! His choice of them lowered sanji's paper laden hand

"How long??"

"15 minutes, 20 minutes if we're lucky."

"How lucky?" Tsuki chipped in.

"Huh?"

"how lucky would we have to be to make 20?"

" About as lucky as we'd have to be to make rescuing Them a possibility."

This rescue mission to rescue the others that the five had originally embarked upon had made the prisoners into a group. Them. Them with a capital T, just to prove their importance.

"Sanji san." Tsuki made a gesture.

"Tsuki chan?"

She waved for the paper again.

"an interesting article? The horoscopes?"

"No. not the horoscopes."

"Then?"

"I want to show this idiot the price of stupid comments."

Sanji grinned. An Evil grin. "With pleasure, my angel." He handed her the paper. His smile was mirrored on her face.

Angel? Diablesse! Thought Usopp, who was jabbering for a decent apology.

"Oh I gettit!" Luffy's fist smacked into his palm.

"What now Luffy?" asked Usopp, trying to distract the demons in front of him, before they could beat him up with a paper.

"That means we'll deffinately get there!"

"Luffy, once again, you're not making any sense." Muttered Chopper, a hand on his forehead.

"S'obvioust Chopp! If the chances of getting 20 minutes out of vanny are as high as rescuing Them, then we'll deffinately get 20 minutes and more, easy!"

Everyone stared at him.

"And then you wondered why you fail at probability." Muttered Usopp, who was instantly beaten by two separate halves of newspaper.

"Unfortunately, long nose, you're right." Tsuki muttered to herself. Once again, however, she felt the warm feeling of wanting to hug the idiot in the hat.

"We'll deffinately rescue niichan and the others!" Luffy yelled, one fist raised to chest height, a cheeky grin playing across his face, his eyes flashing in determination. "So we'll deffinately make it!"

His determination sparked conviction in his comrades who all nodded, the determination spreading like a fungus, sprouting it's mushrooms in everyone's chests. At once, they all felt capable of perservering; even if the end was lost in a misty haze, it'd work! Everyone except Usopp, who kept muttering about the difference between probability and possibility, and making up ridiculously high ratios.

"Quit your stupid negative whining!" snapped an already impatient Tsuki after this had gone on for a good few minutes

"It's the truth! You guys should stop kidding yourselves and face it!"

"oh, so I'm getting the truth from pinnochio? I doubt it."

"Exactly, as Usopp kun always lies, we'll make the capital, and everything's possible!" everyone faced the speaker. Funnily enough, it had been Vivi, who had said the least out of all of them on this little adventure. The size of the adventure had been disputed, and agreed that it depended on the angle you looked at it from.

She looked at Usopp, smiling angellically, head cocked to one side.

"OWNED!" yelled a gleeful Luffy, waving a hand, palm up, in a diagonal line from top to bottom, laughing.

Usopp flushed and turned grumpily to look out the window of the vehicle, which was moving at snail's pace, literally.

"150 m ! hold on for one fifty, please!" sanji begged the van. He knew it was of no use, but desperate times make you do strange things.

As it happened, the van held out for 125, 25 minutes later.

"Toldya so!" grinned an ecstatic Luffy at a disgruntled Usopp.

"Fine!" he muttered.

"Right!" Sanji got out, and opened the back door. "You bastards: OUT!"

"Wha?"

" We need to push it!"

Pell got out of the passenger's seat, which sanji immediately thanked him for and the three boys were almost kicked out, Sanji cursing the whole time and threatening them, leaving the two girls in the van.

Vivi sighed. Sanji would not let them out. "I'm always left out of things." She said in explanation to Tsuki's raised eyebrow.

"Don't knock it. I wouldn't want to push this thing." She said moving into the driver's seat. She didn't forgive Vivi for the part she played in Nami's little band, but she didn't hate her outright. So she would settle for decency, but no more than that. You just cant trust someone 100% after that kind of behaviour.

"Now the Accelerator's on the far right." She reminded herself, trying to remember her first and last practical driving lesson. Slowly, gingerly, she pressed the pedal to the floor and the van lurched into movement.

"WHY NOW!"

"Sanji san?"

"I'm sorry, Tsuki chan, Vivi chan, but we were only a few hours away from our destination." Sanji clutched his head in his hands. Though they didn't know it, both girls bit their lips, wearing an almost identicle expression. That of stoical depression.

"Right! Let's Head Out!" said a certain member of this little troupe. Three guesses who.

"Luffy. How do you propose we do that?" asked Vivi.

"Walk." Grinned this particular eejit.

"Eejit! It's impossible to walk that far!" yelled Usopp.

"How far?"

"hundreds of kilometers!"

"Hmmmm? I don't see a problem."

"Course you wouldn't, you idiot."

"So let's walk!"

"NO!" yelled everyone. Then all was silent for a while.

"Reckon we could hitchhike?" asked Chopper tentatively.

"We're too big a group, the drivers would think we were some great mafiosos or something stupid."

"point." Silence again. Then…..

"!"

The little group all flinched violently, all heads turning in every conceivable direction.

Unnoticed by them, a police car had stopped, it's sirens blaring. A human weasel stepped out of one side, and a man greatly resembling a bull emerged from the other.

"That's it! we've been caught! And now we're off to prison too!" jibbered Usopp.

"Shut up!" hissed Tsuki, and sanji kicked him in the shin. The boy yelped and clutched at his leg.

"Keep quiet, everyone. I'm going to have a listen."

"Tsuki san!" ghasped Vivi.

"I just said keep quiet!" Tsuki stood, brushing crumbs off her jeans (she'd been sitting next to Luffy. Who had a packet of biscuits in his hands.) going over to the petrol pump the two men, hiding herself carefully so as to appear to be doing something completely different if they decided to spot her. Their conversation floated towards her.

"So Slow!" complained the weasel. "Honestly, we'll be stuck here for ages, and what with that whinging bitch, I'll be driven out of my mind."

"Nero, if you stopped speeding, they would keep up." Said his companion, his face an expressionless mask.

"Oh, shuddup Blueno!" mumbled the first, it was obvious that the Blueno guy had a point. "Anyway, you'd better take Moaning Minnie to the toilet. I'll look over Cleopatra."

"You should stop giving them strange names, Nero." Said Blueno, still sounding like nothing had happened.

Tsuki heard the sound of a car door open and then close.

"Oh good, you stopped!" said the Nero guy. There was no reply. "Get her in, Blue, I don't this I can stand to look at the little lunatic."

Little lunatic? Moaning Minnie? What? Tsuki was thoroughly confused. Surely they couldn't be THAT lucky. But they might've overtaken them. They hadnt stopped, after all. But come on! You'd need to be amazing!

Moving slightly from her hiding place, she tried to make out who it was that the big guy was leading into the shop. Unfortunately the big guy was big enough to almost completely hide whoever it was. Almost.

A lock of brown hair and a colourful skirt hem fluttered out behind him. Eli! She was sure. Right! Time to be positive.

Without waiting to tell the others her plan, she went into the shop.

"I need the loo guys!" she yelled and ran in.

She got to the toilets just as the big guy shut the door on a small female figure.

"Scuse me." Tsuki put on a honey coated voice.

"You may not enter." Said the man, voice as solemn as deathbells at a funeral.

"Oh. Please? I really need the loo." She looked at him with a pleading, delicate look.

"I'm sorry, but we are escorting a dangerous lunatic, and she has just entered."

"Oh, I'll keep well away. I promise. Please? I really need to go and my family's about to leave."

The man remained resolute.

"Please?" the next sentence she was about to utter would haunt her for the next week, but these were desperate times. "It's my period, I really need to go!"

The man flushed a bit, and eventually gave in, warning her and ushering her into the room.

Tsuki thanked him repeatedly then walked into the room. She dared not speak too loudly, but checked under the cubicle doors for feet or skirt. She heard stifled sobs, words hidden in them.

"Cant. Didn't. not. Fault." She'd recognise those sobs anywhere.

"El!" she whisper yelled through the door.

She heard a slight bang. It repeated itself.

"No! I didn't do anything to you! No!"

"Shhhh! Calm down!" Tsuki tried to calm down the yelling girl, completely thrown back by the reaction. She should've been grateful! Hooking a nail into the stupid green plastic ridge that served as a lock, Tsuki twisted her thumb and opened the door. The sight before her wasn't all that pleasant.

Eli was sitting on the lid of the toilet, hands behind her back, obviously handcuffed. Her tear streaked face was red and blotchy, her eyes swollen with tears were trying to become a traffic light; the green irises encircled by crimson.

"It's my fault again." Fresh tears streaked her face. "what have I done this time?"

The eyes were staring at Tsuki, but it was evident that they werent believing what they were seeing. Her heart melted.

"Oh El, stop being stupid." She hugged her cousin, who put her head on the offered shoulder and sobbed.

"Shhh," said Tsuki, rubbing Eli's back. The material of her shirt was oddly stiff as though…. "You've been bleeding?!"

"Not…much." Said Eli, panting. "J-just m-mmy wr-r-rists."

"God, you slit your wrists? You are an idiot."

"ka-ka-cuffs!"

"I know. Shhhh now. Or the minotaur outside will catch me."

"Or maybe I will." Said a cool female voice, tinged with a German accent.


	7. Chapter 7

**Parenting for Beginners**

Outside the petrol station, Sanji was almost at his wits end. At last, grabbing Usopp, Luffy and Chopper from their game of basket ball, he imposed his authority.

"Sit down!" he yelled for the umpteenth time.

"Awwwww, Sanji!!!!!!!" moaned Luffy, as he was pushed down.

"Shut up!" Sanji looked around nervously.

Unlike the moron next to him, sanji thought he might've worked out what was happening inside the public toilets to a certain extent.

Police cars, a big guy going into the shop, only just not covering the hem of skirt fluttering behind his calf and Tsuki chan suddenly wanting the loo. If he was right, he and the others around him needed to keep silent. If that was at all possible with Luffy around.

"I'm gonna get CRAMP!!!!!!!!"he whined.

"Shut up you moron!' sanji whacked him on the back of the head.

"OWWWWW SAN mwumpf." The outraged luffy had a hand clamped over his mouth before he could finish his sentence.

"I said shut up you fool!" hissed sanji.

"oi, oi!" Usopp exclaimed. "What's up!"

"Havent you twigged yet!? It's the police, and Tsuki chan's followed them."

"Your targets?" asked the solemn voice of Pell.

"Not targets, friends." Corrected Chopper, politely. "you think it's them?" he asked sanji, hardly daring to hope. Every time he'd heard a siren, he'd yelled "it's them" as a means of keeping the faith.

"almost positive"

Everyone fell silent, even luffy. They were close now. Really close. But…

"but tsuki's taking ages in the bathroom." Commented Vivi.

"You think she got caught?" asked usopp.

"Impossible! It's TSUKI chan."

And that was the cue for tsuki to be lead out of the shop. Accompanied by Minotaur and a sexy woman. Sanji was immediately distracted.

"Fuck." Hissed Usopp. "told ya she was caught! I told you. But no one ever listens to…"

"shut the fuck up."

"see. OW!" the second victim of sanji's violence, only he got kicked in the shins. "bastard that hurt."

"Then learn to can it!"

Locked in their own little world, the little group hadnt yet realised that the hairball and potato had noticed them.

"a rrrrrrrrrowwwwdyyyyy bunch." Commented Kumadori.

"Chapapapa, and they're giving me a headache."

"Agrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeed."

They turned towards the group, which was seated on one of those grass banks with picnic tables, at a table. They were leaning in a huddled circle, muttering. Very conspicuously.

"ex-excuuuuuse meeeee." Started Kumadori.

"Who're you?" asked luffy. "Ouch!"

Anticipating a stupid, question that would no doubt give them away, sanji had trodden on Luffy's toes, hard.

"Sanji!"

"Sorry, Luffy, was that your foot?" sanji's acting was flawed, but enough to show some form of innocence to the two interrogating idiots.

Potato Head and Oddball gave up the pointless interrogation, Sanji kept kicking the others into silence the moment he felt they'd say anything that would endanger his Tsuki chan, and returned to the group of police vehicles.

"They gave me a headache, chapapapapapa. Could they not make up their minds?"

"Yoiyoi-it's not..it's nooot wooooorth the hassssssle." Agreed his partner.

Back at the tables, sanji heaved a sigh of relief. Now what? They'd have to follow the police, now that they had Tsuki as well as everyone else. But HOW! That was the real question. How were they, a bunch of teenagers and a bodyguard, going to take on the police? And without the van, how were they going to follow them? Why…what had she done….how had Tsuki chan gotten herself caught!?

Well, the answer was simple.

Upon hearing the voice behind Tsuki, Eli had stiffened, frozen rigid. She looked up, pulling out of tsuki's embrace and pushing herself against the farthest part of the toilet. He eyes said plain as day "don't let her near me, don't give me back to her."

What could anyone do under the circumstances?

Tsuki weighed up her chances, this was an almost impossible situation. She had two options: to defend Eli and risk getting, no deffinately getting captured or to pretend that she had nothing to do with anything. One look into Eli's pleading green eyes told her almost immediately that she couldn't do the second, she just couldn't. they were cousins after all, distant cousins, but family nontheless. God if she continued in this vein, she'd end up on East Enders ("We're Fambly!").

"Fight to defend your own." Her father's favourite saying sprung to mind. Of course, he'd been right. They're mine; my cousin, my boyfriend, my teachers, my friends. Don't you dare touch what's mine! Thank you Terry Pratchett.

Thank you Nojiko san too. Taking a breath, Tsuki took on the airs she'd learnt for the panto, that of a princess. Turning to face the German lady behind her, she put on a slight smile.

"I beg your pardon. I was just going to the loo when I heard this girl crying. I couldn't just abandone her to her sorrows. It doesn't sit well. I cannot allow someone to cry as I pass."

"no, Tsuki….please." eli barely mouthed, a little sound that only tsuki herself could hear. It tore her heart.

"Well then, if you don't mind, I would like for the girl to come with me." said the bespectacled lady.

That made life harder.

"Couldn't I just stay with her for a bit? She seems rather upset."

"No." the woman walked up to the pair, reaching out for the girl with the wild green eyes. "Come with me." she ordered.

Eli shrank behind tsuki. "Tsuki" she murmered. "Tsuki, help me get away." Or at least she tried to murmur, she was so scared she was barely mouthing.

But what could tsuki do without jeopardising the whole mission!? She'd have to let the woman take Eli. It was for the greater good. She'd make it up to her later.

Or she would've done.

The moment Kalifa's hand touched Eli's shoulder, the girl let out an earpiercing shriek, reeling back into the toilet cubicle wall. The hand then became an iron fist, clutching the girl's shoulder and hoisting her to her feet.

"Enough of this foolishness!" snarled the German woman. She raised her hand, as though to slap the struggling girl, but she seemed to think better of it. however, Eli didn't take it that way. She cowered.

"Not Again! Please! Don't hit me again! Tsuki!!!!!!!"

The woman started dragging her, the more she dragged, the more violent the struggle.

"TSUKI! HELP ME! PLEASE!!" Eli caught her hand on the toilet door.

"Let go you idiot child!" snarled the woman, tugging mercilessly. The hand slipped and Eli quickly contorted into an almost impossible position, facing tsuki, tears streaming down her cheeks. She'd obtained hope, she wasn't about to let go of it now.

"TSUKI! TSUKI! HELP ME! YOU'RE MY COUSIN! WHY'RE YOU SITTING THERE! PLEASE!" her voice was already sounding hoarse.

That tore it. the woman's hand came down on the back of Eli's neck and she fell flat on her face, stunned for a few seconds, blinking rapidly.

"Useless, idiot child!" cursed the bitch under her breath. She looked up at Tsuki. "Sorry, please, but I had no other choice than to use violence in front of a civillian."

Tsuki just stared at Eli. Slowly, after about a minute, she pushed herself up off the ground, rolling on her back and then sitting up. She'd been doing that a lot recently. She looked at Tsuki with hurt questionning eyes, not saying anything.

"Please, she called you her cousin?"

"She's confused me with someone else." Tsuki tried to keep her voice as natural as possible, according to the situation. She was in too much shock to say anything else.

From Eli's point of view, you might as well have dropped a ton of bricks on her head. She stared at the girl standing next to the toilet seat.

"n-n-nnnot?" was all she managed to say. Tsuki had shunned her when she first arrived at the school, saying that there was no way they could be related. For one thing, she'd never heard of this mystery person who turned up saying her mother was Akihide's sister.

"You're no relation of mine." Tsuki'd said time and again, whenever Eli asked about it.

She was saying it again now. She'd disowned Eli.

Eli felt her mind slipping; sliding into a familiar pool of alienation and self defense. Unfortunately, in Eli's oppinion the best attack was the best defense.

Kalifa reached out a hand, grabbing her shoulder. She bit it, eyes wide, and a snarl in her throat.

Kalifa, who'd gotten slightly more used to this reaction, hit her again. This served it's purpose and Eli let go.

"Idiot mutt." She hissed. "she broke the skin this time. I'm sorry, Miss, but violence is the only thing this dog hybrid responds to." Tsuki caught sight of the bit. There was only a graze where one tooth had punctured it ever-so-slightly.

"Up!" ordered the older woman. She hoisted Eli to her feet, and pulled her forcibly out of the bathroom.

Once out of the small, dingey room, Eli turned back, shooting Tsuki a look full of betrayal and pain.

That was the last straw. Tsuki couldn't leave her like that. She couldn't leave her under the care of that woman, couldn't leave her suffer and then become another cause for that suffering. She had to admit to herself, no matter how much she'd hated the kid in the beginning, she had grown fond of her nutter friend. She needed her; who else could she talk to about boyfriend trouble, no one else knew she was dating Ace; except that guy-girl who'd got the lot of them into prison in the first place, but she didn't count. Heck, she loved her.

"Eli!" She yelled, coming out of her daze and running after them, into the shop.

Eli didn't look up. Obviously this was some trick her mind was playing on her again.

"Eli!" Tsuki ran, shoving Kalifa off her cousin. Who stared at her with the same hurt expression as before.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm sorry!" she hugged the girl, who didn't respond in anyway.

"It's alright; we're strangers after all. I'm going to go find Robin sensei now. Thank you for talking to me earlier."

Tsuki was stunned. She her kindness had been spat back in her face.

"I'm sorry." Eli continued. "I confused you with my cousin."

That was it.

"I AM your cousin!" Tsuki yelled. The whole shop stared, and she blushed slightly, but went on with it. "I am! And I don't care what they say, you're innocent, El! I need you back! I'll bust you out of there anyway I can."

"Well said." Spandam's sickly voice came preceded him around a shelf. "you heard the girl, Kalifa. She's willing to get the mutt out of the mental institute, now what kind of a threat is that? This girl obviously has no hold on reality."

He turned to Tsuki. "I suggest you get a lawyer. I will see you in the capital, I'm a generous man, two weeks to beg a case. Then your cousin, if I understand right, will be in one of the most secure mental state prisons in the country."

Tsuki ground her teeth. "My car broke down." She said eventually. She couldn't say she was with a group, or it'd look suspicious.

"By all means, we'll give you a lift. Heaven knows it might prevent this girl's escape attempts."

Nodding, Tsuki left with them to the cars, her hand on Eli's shoulder, feeling like a parent looking after a young child.

"I'll get you out. Or I'll die trying. I promise." She said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Harsh Justice**

Sitting in a court room is a grim experience. People looking at you, you and only you, and you've got to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Or in Spam's case lies, lies and nothing but lies.

The room what hot and stuffy, the men in wigs looked like they were about to die of heatstroke. They shuffled papers and muttered things.

Eli stared around the imposing building. From afar, she could hear the clamouring of reporters as people entered and exited the court room. She looked at the others in the box beside her. Marimo was asleep, snoring loudly. The rest looked like zombies, and Eli didn't doubt that were she to look in a mirror she'd have found a zombie reflection starinig back. Robin called it "prison pallor".

Today was day two of a week long court trial, and in the interim periods and during the night, the band of accused victims were thrown in prison.

"Not as bad as juvie detention centres." Zoro commented, sitting down and eating the stone cold porridge in the morning.

"Yohohohoho, might I suggest that it's because no one dares to relieve themselves in neither yours nor ace san's porridge." Said Brook, pushing his bowl away. The porridge was topped with a orangey yellow substance that no one wanted to look at.

"They don't in mine either." Said Franky.

"Still, this muck's disgusting enough, Brook, so keep your piss-porridge to yourself." Ace waved a spoon at the item of horror. "chuck it."

"Have some of mine. I'll eat half." Offered Franky.

"I wouldn't do that." Said Zoro, not looking up from his porridge.

"And why not?!" asked an indignant franky. "Have you no heart, man?"

"This is the law of the jungle, Trunks. The weak get piss-porridge and a beating. Giving up your portion to a weakling is weakness."

"Well the jungle can screw itself." Said franky, handing Brook the porridge remainder.

Zoro scoffed and continued eating.

Robin and Nami were in a cell of their own. The women here looked like bruisers. They were all tough looking, with an iron like glint in their eyes.

"Hah!" sneered one, a woman with long pink hair. She sat like a prostitute and her aura was of someone who was used to getting her own way. "look what the cat dragged in. Nico Robin."

"Jewelry Bonny!"

The woman's freckled face lit up in an almost manic grin. "I hope you enjoyed your freedom, Robin. Leaving the sisterhood to run a school, how pathetic. And you still managed to get caught? Wonderful."

"She'd better watch out at recreation outdoor time." Said another woman.

Robin frowned, then her face cleared. "Alvida san, you've lost a lot of weight."

"Keep out of this, Besey!" Snarled the Bonny lady.

"What did you call me, Fridge Cleaner!?"

"Besey, cos you're so obese!"

That started it, the two women, who were sharing a cell, got into a fight; nails scratched at faces, hair was tugged and punches were thrown.

"Fight, fight, fight, fight!"

Women, banging at the bars of their prison cells were chanting, calling out the name of the woman they were supporting in this cat fight.

"Jewelry sama! Beat Besey's fat ass to a pulp!"

As a matter of fact, Alvida's weight couldn't have been more that Bonny's own. In fact, she was really good looking. But once you aquire a label, you'll never rid yourself of it.

"Alvida sama! A punch to the jaw! To the jaw! Stop her from eating our food!"

Robin sighed, prison hadnt changed. True she'd only been kept in for a few months last time before being put on parole for good behaviour, and even then, this had been a regular occurrence. School playground-politics was nothing compared to this, even if it's base was the same.

Nami just stared horrified. This was what she'd have to put up with for a week, or rather, for the rest of her life? She'd never get that money now. Ever. And the people she'd known at Arlong Park wouldn't come for her. Bye bye Kokoyashi village, home, hello Arlong Park Kokoyashi branch.

At least the cuffs were off and she could hug her knees. She'd failed them all. The tattoo on her arm, which she'd been forced to keep bare as a mark of why she was being imprisoned seemed to throb. She clutched it, digging her nails into the skin. She and Ace were probably both going to get jailed for life, just because they had been marked. Well at least he had wanted to be marked. She'd had no choice.

"Nami san." Robin sidled over, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The yells, the fight, the whole atmosphere frightened nami, who bit her lip trying to make the pain blot out the noise.

Hey this was working! The jeers and catcalls gradually died down, leaving the two women fighting. When the wave of silence became known to them, they stopped and tried to look innocent, a look that suited neither of them.

Whip cracks came down the corridor.

"Ummmmmmmmm!" it sounded orgasmic. "what is all this commotion."

"oh no." Sighed Robin. "She's still here."

"Who?"

"Sadie."

"Sadist Sadie." Said a woman in the cell beside. Nami turned to look. Walking down the corridor towards them was a woman. Ok, no shit Sherlock it was a woman, but a very particular, peculiar, woman. She was holding a whip and wearing a costume that wouldn't look out of place in a whore house. It was shocking pink, as were her nails and lips. Her copious strawberry blond hair covered most of her face so it was literally impossible to see her eyes.

She walked down the corridor between the cells, whip lashing everywhere, each time it cracked an orgasmic "ummmm" was sure to follow.

"Bonny chan and Alvie chan ummmmmmmmm," she said, stopping outside the cage like cell and leaning foreward, inspecting them behind her too long fringe. "fighting again?"

Nami just stared. And people at school called her a whore for wearing short skirts, tight tops and heels on a permanent basis? They aint seen nothing yet! At least she never walked around in a hot pink gimp suit like this "sadist Sadie".

"For fighting, ummmmmmm, detention hall."

Both women scowled and when the whore left, they were fighting again, this time over whose fault it was they were in detention halls.

"those two will fight over anything and everything." The woman in the cell next to Robin's sighed. Nami couldn't see her, the wall that separated them wouldn't allow it. yet from the sound of her voice, the woman sounded friendly. Friendlier than the two wolverines in the cell opposite.

"You're new. I don't recognise you." Said Robin, taking on an air of authority. The authority she'd had before as an inmate of this prison. She'd been the cleverest woman in this hell on her last visit, and for that she had been respected and left alone. You can't hit intellectual inmates, they know how to deal with you afterwards. So Robin had some arm muscle in this equation.

"I'm Lola." Said the voice. "and my cell mate's Margaret, but I've been here longer than she has. She's not used to it here. hasn't said a word since another of the fights."

Robin looked at Nami. If she was any judge, Margaret wouldn't be the only one not saying anything.

She'd been right. Sitting in the little box where she and the others were sitting. Their lawyer, someone who was making a right dog's dinner of their defense, was standing in front of the judge. She couldn't blame him. How were you supposed to convince a jury that they were innocent, a bunch of known criminals, two of them clearly marked by mafia gangs, and a lunatic, and a delinquant. The lawyer was struggling to make a coherent case. He was the state lawyer, no one professional, just a clerk doing this for money. Surely the wealthy Nico Robin could've found and paid a better one. Well she could've done, and would've done, had not the money she'd accumulated over the years been frozen in her bank account in case they were found to be illegal.

Of course they werent, but nothing she said would make the police believe her.

The judge sighed. "we proceed to the first debate on the freedom of Tziganu Eli."

Mutterings filled the hall. Eli's case was to be the longest, no one knew her mental condition. If it was schizophrenia, or something equally treatable, they would set her free into society. However, if it was anything else, she'd be locked up for life.

"I call the accused to stand." Said the judge in his heavy tones. Eli looked at Robin, who nodded. She stood, looking frightened and clutching her wrist, now the right wrist in the left hand, now the left wrist in the right, now the right again. They had bandaged the raw flesh, but she kept touching them, as if to make sure of something.

The judge looked up over a sheet of paper. "you are Tziganu Eli."

She nodded. "Very well, present the case for the defense."

And the little man was off, talking a load of bollocks about good behaviour, and getting flattened by the prosecutor.

"Very well." The judge said again. "Have we any witnesses or shall we conclude this argument?"

"Just the one. A girl, claiming to be her cousin. A miss Tenshi."

"bring her forth to the witness stand."

"Yes milord."

As soon as her name was mentioned, Tsuki got up from her seat and almost ran to the witness box. She was going to get this to swing the right way. She was definitely going to fix this. She marched into the witness box and glared at the prosecutor with defiance. Do your worst, she dared him.

"Tenshi san. You know who you defend?"

"Yes, your honour."

"and you are a blood relative to the accused."

"She is my third cousin five times removed."

"You appear well read in your family tree Tenshi san."

"My father and her uncle were very close."

"Very good. Your arguments?"

Tsuki swallowed. She'd prepared for this question. Now all she had to do was say her lines.

"Eli's not mental!" she announced. A stunned silence followed her words.

"And proof of this?"

"A year's worth of living in the same room. If she were the raving lunatic I would have left her in your care, your honour."

The silence deepened, then a chuckle rose from the jury.

"the jury wishes to speak?"

"If I may, your honour." A tall man stood up. He was middle aged, with his white hair brushed back. He looked for all the world like a normal businessman, a leading economic figure of some kind, in his black suit. Yet, for all the "Barty Crouchness" of his appearance, Tsuki ghasped. She ghasped in shock.

"You're name, sir?"

"Chizu no Akihide, if it please your honour."

"And you feel you might be able to sort this out?"

"Your honour, yes. I have been conducting my duty as a member of the jury for many years now. I never expected this case to bring my family into this, otherwise I would have declined the call of jury service so as not to sway the jury one way or another."

No, thought Tsuki, no no no no no! that's precisely what you plan to do now!

"Explain." Said the judge with a somber tone.

"Tenshi no Tsuki." Akihide motioned towards the girl in the witness box. "is daughter of a family relative to whome I was very close, albeit the distant relation. She has actually mentioned me in her defence of the accused. Am I to believe that the accused is my niece, Tsuki chan?"

Tsuki swallowed and glared up at Akihide in defiance. "She is."

Akihide chuckled again. "This is preposterous, your honour. My sister, my only sibling has been dead for almost 18 years. She died in childbirth and both her and the child died at that time. I would know if I had a niece. I do not recognise the accused."

Fuck fuck fuck! This is going wrong!

"And were this indeed the case, I would think it my duty as next of kin to place her in a mental ward for her own protection."

The jury muttered amonst themselves, most were nodding. Poor Eli in the spotlight, she stared at the man supposedly her uncle and knew, somehow, on some wild instinct, that this was the end of the line for her. She would've cried, had she had any more tears willing to be shed. Instead she felt the lump in her throat and looked down, knowing she had been condemned for life.

"Alright, thank you Chizu san, we will remove you from your post in the jury purely during the Tziganu case." The judge seemed to have made his mind up. "your services as jurer cannot be overlooked for the remaining accused persons."

"Your honour, I thank you." Akihide sat back down, and a slight smile was spreading across his face. A victorious smile, accompanied by iron grey eyes.

"Tenshi no Tsuki." The judge turned his full attention back to the girl in the witness stand. "Is that man indeed the relation of which you spoke earlier."

"Yes." There was no denying it.

"Am I to take it that you have been lying when you say that the accused present is your third cousin five times removed."

"No your honour. I believe she is."

"Can you provide evidence?"

"Nothing solid your honour, yet she told me the location she was raised in and I recognise it. might I ask my uncle Akihide that he allow for a DNA test to be conducted?"

"I am willing to comply." Her uncle smiled at her. He had given his statement, Eli would go into the mental ward regardless of whether or not she was mental, as far as he was concerned. There was nothing Tsuki could do about that, her 18th birthday was a few days away, if Eli could wait that long, Tsuki could work to becoming her legal guardian. It was worth a shot.\

"Very well, the court case shall fund a DNA test. Anything else you would like to add?"

"No your honour." What could she add? Her thunder had been stolen.

"Then we conclude this, the second session of the Merry Sunny Fire enquiry." The little mallet connected to the little plate with a clack that echoed with an air of finality. The court was closed.

Police officers came and escorted the accused from the box, and two people, clothed in white came to the box and took Eli by the arms, frog marching her back to the padded cells where all you could hear were screams.


	9. Chapter 9

**"Well, what do we do?!"**

In a little café on the outskirts of the capital, Sanji was reading a newspaper. He felt like crap, he'd been driving for a week and then walking for the past two days to get to the capital. Hitchhiking had proved impossible, and to be honest, the woebegon group did not look it's best.

He scratched at his stubble. Nope, deffinately didn't look it's best. All the guys were in serioius need of a shave and Vivi just looked like she'd been on a long trip. Which of course she had.

Sighing, Sanji truned the page of his newspaper, still scratching his stubble. God beard's were itchy!

A handdrawn picture caught his attentin. He checked the headline.

"Court in the Act?"

What was that supposed to mean? sanji read on.

"Suspicious circumstances at court yesterday have brought light to a very interesting case. Although seven people were arrested, the main culprit for actually burning the highly praised Merry Dance Sunny Go School for Young Adults, has been thought none other than the escapee from St Vegapunk's Institute for the Mentally Ill, Tzignau Eli. The fire has unearthed many undercover criminals who were hiding among the school's occupants, two of whome appear to be still active. The fact that one of these two is actually a student is most concernng.

However, yesterday's court case revealed some interesting news. During the Tziganu trial, a witness was called forth claimed to be the girl's roommate, and then proclaimed the accused child to be her relative."

Sanji ghasped. "Tsuki chan's safe." That was such a relief. The others looked at him.

"She's battling Tziganu's case in the courtrooms."

"Ah, thash goog." Said Luffy around a mouthful of fish 'n' chips. "She'sh cleva, she'w short i'"

"Read aloud, please, Sanji san!" begged Chopper. "Did she make it?"

Sanji read on. "However, this argument fell short when faced with evidence."

"What argument?"

"She said Eli's her cousin."

"I never knew that!" exclaimed Vivi. "How did it fall short, though?!"

Sanji continued. "The relative who the accused is supposed to be the niece of stood in front of the court and stated that this was, in fact, cobblers." The group fell silent, so he read on. "Chizu no Akihide is a respected gentlemen, mayor of the second largest town in the country. He didn't recognise the child, and remarked that even if this werent a lie, the child should go into a mental institute for the sake of the public's peace of mind."

Now every one was staring, except luffy who was still munching his fast food.

"so, Tziganu chan's going to be locked up?!" Chopper couldn't believe it. "But there's nothing wrong with her!"

"we know, Chopp!" Usopp stared at the table, an angry gleam in his eyes. "But if that's been said, there's no chance of getting her out legally."

"So we just have to kick their asses."

Everyone turned to stare at Luffy.

"What?" he asked, innocence dripping from his lips. Along with watever other sauce he stuck on his fish, which judging by the colour was every sauce available.

"Luffy…you do realise we're going against the _law. _Not to mention the _government._ Not to mention her _family_, if this dude's to be believed." Said an incredulous Usopp.

"So?"

"What do you mean "so?"?!"

"Well we're her friends, right."

"That's not the point…"

"And he's not sure she is his niece, right?"

"Right, but still…"

"So we know her better than he does."

"Luffy, family have more say in the matter than…"

"So we know if she's crazy or not, more than he does."

Usopp sighed. "I'm not gonna bother commenting anymore. What do you have to say Luffy?"

"Well, if they're gonna stick Them in jail and Eli in prison, then screw the carts and we'll bust them out ourselves."

"What carts?" asked Vivi.

"He means courts. Anyway, how're we gonna do that! We're no where near the courts."

"Or the airport for that matter." Murmured Pell. He was still resentful that they'd missed their plane by minutes. He'd just that second put his mobile phone down on the table. "Vivi sama, Igaram san's on his way as we speak."

"Who?!"

"A family friend." Vivi cut across Pell. "he's come to collect us?"

"To negotiate a private…"

"Right!"

"What?"

"Never mind!"

Everyone stared at Vivi. She'd shouted. They'd never heard her shout. Not like that. Not with that tone of authority.

"Vivi chan?" asked Sanji hesitantly.

She looked aside. "It doesn't matter. We'll wait for Igaram. You guys can leave us here. go save your friends."

"You're our friend too now."

"Luffy?" she looked at him curiously.

"You know, in books. People who travel together are always friends. Like in that film Sopp made me watch, where the short guy with the beard and the blond guy were friends. Oh and the black guys were there too."

"What film was that?!" asked the named culprit.

"The one with the guys in weird cloths."

"Helps a lot."

"Lord of the Rings?" suggested Chopper.

"That's the one!" grinned Luffy.

"You didn't have to make me look like a racist in the process!"

"What's up Sopp?"

Vivi watched the quarrel. What pointless bull were they arguing about?!

"Vivi chan…." Asked Sanji hesitantly. "What's your surname?" he'd twigged she wasn't just some old Egyptian.

"Neftari." She knew he'd twigged it.

"Woah!"

"I thought you'd got it!"

"I never got that high up! The president's daughter?!"

"Shuttup!" but Pell had already seen to that, shoving sanji's shoulder hard, so he'd actually been caught mid sentence.

"Go and rescue your friends. We'll leave you." She said, standing. "Come, Pell." An order?! He stood and they left.

"What's eating her?!" asked Usopp.

"Never mind!" sighed and exasperated Sanji. "Back to the plan. We have to get to the court so we can prove they're innocent, we can work it even if the trial is a formality."

"but you said there was no hope for Eli."

"Chopper, there isnt."

Eli wasn't feeling particularly hopeful at this point in time either. She'd been kept in the cell, her blood tests were being done. How awful could they be?! They'd strapped her to a table, she hadnt tried to fight them, she remembered how far that'd got her last time. But they still strapped her and jabbed her arm. It'd hurt. She'd ghasped, only to have a hand clapped over her mouth. These guys werent taking any chances. Still, that wasn't gonna make her feel great about the situation. She wasn't doing anything. She'd lost hope. She'd be stuck here for the rest of her life, which would probably be shorter than it would've been had they decided to leave her lead a normal life.

Now she was stuck in a white washed cell, hearing the screams of the really sick people reverberating off walls. She couldn't not hear them, the sounds of people screaming at nightmares only they could see when they walked the corridors. Others screamed at invisible people, some screamed and clutched their heads. And they reverberated back. She closed her eyes, hands over her ears to block out the noise.

_She's ten again. A little girl in a long white nightshirt, her sole possession. She is sitting hunched on a medical cot, knees under her, hands clapped around her ears. She doesn't like it here, she's waiting for the person she respects the most. He is kind. He feeds her. He cares for her, makes her feel safe. He takes her hands away from her head and talks to her, gently, strokes her hair when she's upset or when he's happy with her. He sings her to sleep. He whispers goodnight as he leaves the room. She's not completely asleep, she whispers to the wall._

"_Goodnight Father."_

The door clanged open and she looked up, startled. They were back again, well one of them. The man in the clinical turquoise uniform nurse's wear was walking towards her brusquely.

She looked at him, they'd come for her again. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she shuffled to the edge of the bed. She'd cooperate. That's what she'd been told to do by Robin, cooperate and prove she was sane, then they'd have to let her out. Unless that man happened to be her uncle. Then she'd be doing this every day for the rest of her life, every time they called her, she'd have to come running like a dog.

She didn't want that. God, she didn't want that. A prisoner to doctors, who have every right to do as they please. "For your own good." That's all they say. "For your own good." The jabs, the numbness, the holding you down so tight you cant breathe properly.

"What now?" she asked, trying and failing to quell the tremble in her voice.

He said nothing, just steered her out of the room, down a long corridor of screaming patients. She shuddered.

He brought her to a room. It was white with green flooring.

"Wait." He said and left.

So she waited, sitting on the chair in the corner. She didn't know what to do, so she just sat, not daring to hug her knees or her arms, on edge.

The door opened again and enter Mr Unfriendly.

"It is my duty to keep watch, she might attack you." He said over his shoulder to….

"Tsuki!" Eli jumped off the chair and ran to her cousin. The nurse blocked her from her goal. "Lemme go!" she struggled against him. His grip tightened. Why was Tsuki just standing there?!

The girl with the violet eyes didn't move. She was staring at the nurse, though she wasn't seeing the minor battle in front of her. She was more concerned with the threat behind her.

"Eli, calm down." She said, trying to void her words of emotion. She'd spoken too softly.

By and by, the nurse had eli on the chair again, and was standing over her, right next to her shoulder should she decide to stand again and "attack the civilians."

Tsuki moved forward, folding Eli in a tight embrace. It was true. They were related. Not that she'd doubted it for a minute, but that final cinching piece of information made her feel closer to the girl than ever before.

Eli returned the hug, resting her head on Tsuki's shoulder. She wanted to go, leave here with her cousin.

"I wanna leave with you." She said.

"eli….i'm sorry."

"What?!"

"It's just."

"Aha. So this is my niece?"

Eli looked up, she recognised that voice now. Akihide strode into the room. He'd changed his suit, but other than that he was exactly the same. Same fake smile, same cold grey eyes, same aura. Tsuki realised that eli was clutching at tsuki's own shirt.

"So I'm stuck here." she whispered. That was why Tsuki'd bothered to hug her: they were probably never going to see each other again.

Tsuki sighed, nodding.

Akihide stopped in front of the pair. "Now that I look at you from close up, you do resemble my little sister. It's a shame they told me you were dead."

Neither of the girls believed him for a minute.

"Well, I made myself clear during the court trial, sorry, what was your name?"

Eli didn't say a word. She stared at the ground. No rescue, she was going to die here.

"well, whatever your name may or may not be, it doesn't matter. It is safest for you to remain here. Tsuki chan. I'd like a word with you if you don't mind. Outside."

Tsuki stood, looking at eli with what could only be described as pity. She had to do something! But she turned with Akihide and went to the door. He turned and opened the door to find another man standing outside it.

This man looked like a new rock idol. Long blond hair cascaded down his shoulders and he was covered in tattoos. Very occult like tattoos.

"Sorry." He said, standing aside. Akihide passed and the man looked in. "eli chan?" he asked, quietly. She looked up.

"Father!" she got up, only to be pushed down by the nurse.

"It's ok." The man said to the nurse, who let her go. She ran and hugged him. He remained passive. Like a teddy bear. He did not respond at all. Just let himself be hugged by a now sobbing girl. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. She was sniffling.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hiccoughing throughout both words.

"Eli chan. I'm sorry for you. And don't refer to me as "father" ever again. I have nothing more to do with you."

She stared at him. He hadnt just….but he had. The person she'd felt closest to. The person who had given her a name. who had taught her to read, write and do basic maths. He had been a father to her. She'd never known her biological father, he'd been the only one as far as she was concerned.

Slowly he unclapsed himself from her arms, looked at her blankly and left her to cry. He passed by the pair who had left the room as he had entered and left without saying a word.

Outside the corridor, Tsuki was facing the sequel to a terrible nightmare.

"I would like for you to return to my home with me. it makes life easier for the both of us and I'm sure your father would've been happy with the situation."

"Get lost." She'd lost her composure. "murderer, coward!"

"My, my, it seems you havent forgotten."

"How could i!? you and your precious oil gaining tactics have shredded my life into slices. Mine and the five survivors in the hospital!"

"That's nice to hear, that there were more survivors."

"Go to hell where you belong!"

"Calm yourself, dear girl."

She pushed him away from her and turned towards the exit, just as she heard Eli scream.


	10. Chapter 10

**Recreation**

Drip, drip, trickle, drip. The gutter overhead was overflowing. Sodding weather, the day They were allowed out, it had to be fucking raining buckets. Ace didn't hate much. However, he loathed rain.

"So fucking depressing." He almost snarled, kicking an empty coke can someone'd left lying around. It skittered across the concrete jungle of a courtyard.

"Ace san, perhaps you should calm yourself a bit, yohohohoho."

"Shut up, skelly." Ace sulked, shoving his fists deep into his pockets. This sucked. He'd been stuck in this joint for a week already, and the courts had found him, brook and nami guilty and they'd been given 20 years. Robin was still being tried and Zoro got off practically scot-free with a couple of months. They were still trying Franky, he was in court now. But nothing could compare to the miserable wretch that was Tziganu. She had a life sentence. They'd stopped summoning her into the court room. She was probably doing her nut.

Ace's foul mood was worsening by the day. Not only did he have to put up with the others, he also had to put up with jeering jailbirds. Some bastard kept annoying the shit out of him.

Zoro snored loudly. He was sitting under the lip where the small group was huddled, shetlering itself against the cruel elements, legs stretched in front of him and asleep.

Needless to say, Ace's mood didn't improve. Going over, he kicked Zoro in the thigh, a vicious deadleg. Zoro didn't wake up. Ace threw a punch, but somehow this amazingly deep sleeper suddenly woke with the murderous intent and grabbed the fist, glaring at it's owner.

"What the hell's your problem?" he asked, calmly, voice full of venom. He was deathglaring.

"you getting away with everything!"

"Well go find someone who actually cares."

Ace brought his other fist up and punched him. He'd snapped.

"OI! You bastard!" Zoro stood, angry and roused. He didn't bother putting a hand to his reddening cheek, he turned up the sleeves of his jail suit instead. "I might not be a pro boxer, but I'm enough to take you out."

"wanna bet?!"

Before anyone good even shift their on their bums to even look over their shoulder, punches were flying.

"No-good deliquent!"

"Feather Fist!"

"Zoro san, Ace san! Cease!"

The two men turned, fists raised and punched Brook in the face, one fist connecting with his chin, the other with his nose, both drawing blood. He fell back, hitting his head hard on the concrete, stars swirling in front of his vision. Something felt very wrong.

The two hadnt noticed, they returned to the frustration alleviating fight they'd been having.

Someone shouted and Ace and Zoro found themselves in headlocks.

"You fucking blue gorillas!" Ace kicked out at the cop behind him. Surveillance personnel didn't require much, they just had to be big, strong and stupid. Hence the term blue gorillas that had slipped into prison slang. They all kowtowed to one man.

"What's the ruckus over here?" asked said man.

"Get your pets off us!" snarled Zoro.

The man was incredibly short and wimpy looking. Yet looks are deceiving. He was sadistic, confident, authoritative and devastatingly intelligent. Like Sadie, he carried a whip, but didn't use it as often.

"Take them to the cells. The new ones we've allocated." He said to the blue uniformed idiots, who turned and walked off with their charges.

"What new cell??!" yelled ace, struggling with all his might, and impeding his captor. Who said nothing and walked on. "Oi, Saldeath!"

The small, cruel man looked at him. "Due to your sentence, you're going to a new part of the prison with your own kind, Portogas D Ace. enjoy."

"Asshole!"

As he was dragged away, Saldeath ordered a third Gorilla to take Brook to the police nurses. "Thank god we stopped this in time." He said. "Before they started a riot. Tell Sadie chan that she needs to move Nico Robin and Thiefssen Nami to their respective cells before the women get out of hand." He added to the last gorilla around, who nodded and left.

Ace was dragged into a dank part of the prison and thrown into a cell. He looked around. There was a man sitting cross-legged against the wall. He looked somehow familiar, but right now, Ace couldn't care less.

"Bastards! Where am i!?"

"Agh agh agh agh." Came a cold dry laugh from the opposite cell. "Well, well, well what do we have here."

A man from the opposite cell walked up to the bars and leered through them at ace.

"at a guess, White Beard's left-hand man." He laughed that sinister laugh that sounded as though he could use a drop of water in his throat.

"Who the hell are you? And how do you know the old man?" Ace was startled. The guy just laughed. "Oi, Captain Hook, answer!"

"Do you know who you're talking to boy!" the scar that cut the man's face in two was stretched in a fierce, threatening grimace. "Remember my name from now on, McJaws Crocodile."

That's who he was, the famous drug dealer from the papers. Something to do with crack in Egypt. Well, who cared? They were stuck in prison. At the end of the day, what could they do? Answer, absolutely nothing. Rien. Nada. Zilch!

A depressing thought.

Ace turned away from McJaws and walked to the back of the cell. He rested his head against the wall, the cold tiles felt kinda soothing against his agitated cheek where Zoro punched him.

"Goddam Marimo!" he cursed. Silence fell. Then the image that had been plaguing his mind for the past few days popped into his mind again. Tsuki.

It had been the last time he'd seen her. Eli's last formal day in court. The day of judgement.

"In the Tziganu case, I proclaim the accused guilty of starting the fire under the Merry Dance Sunny Go School for Young Adults. I hereby sentence her to a life-time's sentence in the police mental institute under permanent surveillance." Bang went the little wooden mallet.

"No!" she'd screamed. Eli'd just stared. Though she said nothing, it was obvious to all that her sould was screaming. Tears had trickled down her face. They'd taken her, she hadnt fought. She'd been in too much shock to move a muscle.

That's when everything got a bit confusing. The door was thrown open and a group walked in. A group of ragamuffins?! They were more unkempt than the prisoners.

"Wait NO!"

Ace blinked, he knew that voice. and the…. Oh no.

"Oi oi!" said a second.

"Where're they taking her?"

"Shit we're too late! Shitty bastards."

"Guys!" Tsuki yelled, standing and running towards them.

The voices caused eli to turn her head for a split second. She saw them, recognised them immediately then started screaming, calling, yelling.

"Luffy!" the guards pulled her away. She struggled, trying to free her arms from their fists. "No! lemme go! Luffy, please HELP ME!"

The had her again. She continued the vain struggle. "I don't want to go back there! I'm not mental! I'm not!"

This was depressing, almost frightening. Having almost dislocating her shoulders, Eli freed her arms. But she was so worn out, she'd obviously not had much sleep for reasons no one other than herself and the doctors of whatever hell they'd stuck her in, that she just fell to the floor, crying.

"please, don't let me go there. Please." She sobbed, and everyone could hear, everyone had fallen silent. "what have I done?" she looked up at the judge, with big pleading eyes. "What did I do to prove I'm still who I was years ago? I changed, I'm not mad anymore. Let me go, please?"

You could've heard a pin drop. Then.

"You're honour." A man with long blond hair stood up among the crowd.

"And you are?" asked the judge.

"Tziganu Preacher."

"The original nurse?" the announced nodded. "and you decide to come forward now?"

"The verdict had been cast, and i believe that she may be responsible for the fire. This is probably the best outcome for all."

"BASTARD!" yelled Tsuki. "how can you say that?! If you really are Preacher, you should know her better than anyone! She didn't do it!"

"Silence in the court. The verdict has been decided and now has been proven by this last statement. Take her away."

The guards stood again, taking her and lead her away, this time sobbing harder than ace'd ever heard any one do.

Once she'd been taken far enough away so as no one could hear her, the judge continued.

"The cases of Smith Franky and Nico Robin, we conserve our judgement and will continue with our line of inquirey." Tock!

Robin and Franky were escorted out of the room to numerous shouts from around, some in agreement, others in disagreement.

"In the case of Roronoa Zoro, I hereby proclaim the accused innocent, yet he shall remain one more week within prison walls just to assure the judgement was correct." Tock! Off went Zoro.

"The final cases of Portogas D Ace, Thiefssen Nami, and Chopin Brook. The court finds these three guilty of being active members of the mafia and will receive 20 years sentence as that is the set time for the life sentence."

"No!!!!!" yelled Tsuki.

Ace turned to look at her. The last view he got was of a tear trickling down her usually dry cheek, hand across her mouth, devastated.

Ace punched the wall. Stupid judge, stupid jury. Fucking Jason! Now twenty years of his life were up in smoke! Fuck! He'd be forty by the time he left! What was he gonna do when he was forty?! Watch the cricket?! He wanted to lead some kind of life! Not be stuck in some god-forsaken prison with a laughing creep and a strong silent type in the corner of a fucking prison cell.

After his knuckles started bleeding, he stopped, slumped against the wall and slide down into a fairly bad sitting position. He was dead, his soul was going to die before he did.

A clanking sound.

"Right on time." Said a random voice from a gloomy cell. "They're never late."

Two women walked down the aisle, both wearing next to nothing.

"What's this?" ace asked the man in the corner.

He looked odd. A sumo wrestler type with a jutting jaw and a topknot.

"The good-time girls. The prostitutes paid to keep the rowdy ones quiet." Was the sole explanation.

"that's sick." Said Ace, finally commenting.

"These men never get outside, they need relief. Personally, I leave it up to them." Said sumo.

Ace looked at him, he seemed like an ok middle-aged guy. "Name?"

"Monger Jimbei."

Ace frowned. "the pirate?"

"If you call sea scavangers that, then yes." Jimbei looked at him. "You must be one of the adopted sons of my old friend, Ed Newgate."

"Yeh, Jaws did mention earlier."

"Then we'll get along just fine."

"Great." Ace's voice was tinged with sarcasm. "Thanks ossan." He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, wishing the unthinkable, to be Eli in a soundproof cell so that the moans of disgusting pleasure couldn't torment his ears.


	11. Chapter 11

**Fissures and Cracks**

Starbucks. The coffeeshop that was planning to buy the earth. Sanji swirled the dark-brown liquid round his coffee cup with a bemused air.

"They cant make cake, but they certainly can make half decent coffee."

"This milkshake thingybob's good too!" laughed Luffy, slurping at a caramel cream frappucino. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he yelled.

"What? What?" demanded the nervy long-nose beside him.

"BRAIN FREEEEEEEEEEEEEZE!"

"IDIOT YOU HAD ME WORRIED FOR NOTHING!" Usopp whacked his friend on the head.

"That just made it worse, asshole!"

"Dumbass!"

"The pair of you just shut up!" snarled a viciously angry Tsuki.

"Sorry." Said a shocked Luffy after a pause. That made her feel bad.

"S'ok, just shut up and lemme think for a minute."

"kay."

Tsuk swilled the dregs of her coffee cup. Why did that make her sad? Sudden flashback to Eli telling her about reading fortunes from coffee dregs reminded her. And then the horrible image of her on the floor of the court, bawling and begging to be allowed to leave made her bang her fist on the table.

"Fuck it all!" she cursed. "This is such a mess." She banged her elbows onto the table and rested her forehead on her palms.

Sanji, ever the gentleman, couldn't bare to see a girl like this. "Another coffee?"

"What's the use?"

"It'll calm you down."

"don't you gettit! They're stuck! We cant do anything without risking everything!"

"Then you're in the wrong place."

Everyone stopped and stared at Luffy. He was smiling, but utterly calm, not laughing, or being stupid.

"if you're not prepared to risk everything, including your life, for anything, then you might as well be a flea or something no one cares about."

"Oi Luffy!"

"What Sanji? It's the truth. If you risk nothing, you're a jelly fish. And if you're a jellyfish, you have no right to complain when nothing works out."

There was silence for a long moment.

"I dunno about you guys, but I'm gonna bust 'em out." Said Luffy, "Even if I risk my life, I'm not letting niichan stay in there, nor my friends. Specially Eli. No one makes my nakama cry."

He said it with such conviction that everyone just gazed at him in awe.

"Risk your life?! That's a bit harsh!"

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No, that's what it takes to be a friend. You help each other out, no matter what."

Tsuki pulled herself together. He was right, in a fairly exaggerated way. She couldn't let Eli rot in there.

"count me in." she said. Luffy grinned, sticking his hand in the middle. She raised an eyebrow.

"Put it on top." He said.

"This isnt a cartoon."

"But it's cool!"

"It's humiliating."

"Awwww, please?" he looked at her with what can only be described as puppy eyes. she felt her heart melt. Why? Who knows, but for some reason, the next thing she knew, her hand was on his.

"Ugh, fine!" she said, as a means of masking her own astonishment. "Cant have you making me look bad. She's my cousin, I'm going too!"

She felt another hand close on top of hers. Her eyes followed the arm. It was Sanji's.

"This moron couldn't look after a woman, no matter how hard he tried. I cant risk something happening to you, tsuki chan." His visible eye looked slightly suspicious, even though it was closed. "Robin ch…san and Nami san would be in peril as well. They need a knight in shining armour."

"Puah!" scoffed Usopp, Luffy laughed.

"Chopper, come with!" the latter half asked, half ordered. "We'll need you to make sure we're ok and stuff. As well, you can fight really well."

"Idiot! Just cos you flatter me, it doesn't make me happy." He grinned, blushing a bit, eyes glittering.

"You look it." muttured Usopp.

Everyone stared at him. "What?"

"Your hand."

"Don't be stupid! You're crazy! I'm not about to die!"

"Then get lost! What did you come all this way for!?" Tsuki glared at him.

"I thought we could've gotten to them first. Since it hasn't worked, then we cant. Might as well give up."

"Thanks Mr Optimistic."

"Shut the hell up!"

"Well?"

"Well, look guys, you might be fine with this, but I'm not! I'm not brave, I've seen two people die right in front of me! I've tried to keep up with you guys, but I cant anymore! I just cant cope with you're "up and at 'em" attitudes! At least if their in prison, they're alive, and if we're caught we are too. I want to stay alive and free. Christ this is the Government we're going against, not "no cola in the library"!"

The others stared at him. He crossed his arms looking determined.

"Coward." Hissed Tsuki.

"Yeh, well, I am what I am. That's what got them into trouble."

"You're a dick as well? You bastard." Tsuki was going to be the one to kill him. "She considered you a friend."

Usopp stood. "Yeah, well. I cant do much. I'm sorry." He looked at the others. "bye guys, it's been nice, hopefully we'll meet again."

He donned his coat, leaving the coffeeshop, looking grim. They watched him leave, their faces mirrored the same grim lines.

"Asshole!" Tsuki exploded. "Sanji, I will have that coffee, it might stop me killing him myself!"

"Right away, Tsuki chan." Sanji wasn't being flirty. He was just as shocked, and slightly angry, but more shocked. He went over to the counter, coming out from behind the back room where the group had hogged the armchairs.

"Why?" chopper asked, finally. "I thought Usopp was a nice person. Why'd he just abandon them?" he was really confused, poor mite.

"Well, cos he's a dick who puts number 1 before others in worse situations."

"He has his own reasons."

"Shuttup Luffy, it's not as if any of Them have reasons for not wanting to be there! You saw her! Crying, begging to be released? They threw her in anyway! Life's a bitch! We're the only ones who care enough to fix it!"

"And we will, with or without Usopp! We're strong! We're a mafia!"

The other two looked at him. In all the excitement they'd forgotten that part.

"So, we were the government's enemy from the start." Sighed Tsuki. "Well, Usopp's expelled, that means."

They fell silent again.

"I have a plan." Said Tsuki.

Sanji went for the drinks. Aww crap, why'd there have to be a long queue? Just when his little angel wanted his coffee. Well, he'd have to persevere for her sake. He joined it.

When at last he got to the counter, ordered, waited for them to give him the coffee, turned to take it back, he saw him.

The blond man. The tattooed man. The nurse.

Dilemma, coffee or beat the shitball to a pulp?

Well, the guy had a while to wait, so Sanji ran to the table, dumped the coffee with a smile and ran back, his friends calling behind him. He'd have to ignore them.

Good the nurse was still there! Sanji kicked him. He landed on the floor, gazing up at him.

"Excuse me?" he asked. "You have a problem with customers?"

"Shitty bastards who seem to enjoy throwing innocent girls in mental asylums."

The mans face darkened. "What would you know about it?"

"I was there!"

"I did what I had to."

"Is that what helps you sleep at night?"

"If you must know, yes!"

Sanji glared down at him. "You really are an arsewipe!" he grabbed the man by his collar and half dragged him out of the shop, banging him against the wall of a nearby alley.

"You fucking creep!" sanji kicked him again. "How could you do that to the poor girl!" another kick. "What's she done to you! Do you know her! Do you even care?! You bigot!"

The man took all the blows, staring at Sanji. "when you've quite finished, would you mind considering my side? Or did it not cross your mind that I had no choice, punk?"

"There's always a choice! You made the worst one of your life!"

"I'd rather live."

Sanji stopped, a brief pause in the hurl of a abuse and insults. "Explain yourself."

"Simple choice, die as a mafiosi in prison, or send Eli into mental care which she could probably get out of after proving herself sane." He sighed.

"The fuck, man!" Sanji punched him in the cheek. He didn't need to hear the same argument twice in the same day, let alone in the same hour. "if you really did care, you'd have given yourself up! Or refused to come!"

"I'm a marked man, boy!"

"I couldn't give less of a shit! How can you stand there and tell me this when you condemned the girl to sit in a room after she begged the world to set her free! And in that manner! You cold-blooded fiend!"

"Do you know who I am?"

"Should I give a fuck?!"

"I'm Basil Hawkins!"

"And?!" sanji punched him again. "Who you are never excuses what you have done! you scarecrow, you have no heart!"

That did it, Hawkins fell onto his knees, blackened and bruised. "You have no idea."

"Then explain yourself before I give you an injury you'll regret!"

"She was my charge at St Vega's, I named her, how can you think I don't care?"

"Pffffff, you certainly showed that back there."

"I had"

"No choice, yeah you mentioned that." Sanji looked down at him. "You're a pathetic excuse for a man. I hope you're proud. I hope she deals you the punishment you deserve." And so saying he turned and stalked back to find his friends.

He found them sitting at the table.

"What happened?" asked Chopper, looking at Sanji's angry face.

"Nothing." he pulled out a cigarette, stuffed it in his mouth viciously, lighting it and dragging on it.

"Something happened." Said Tsuki. "what?"

Sanji blew out the nicotine from his lungs and sighed. "That bastard nurse was in the queue, I just taught him a lesson he wont forget in a hurry."

"Huh? Who?" asked Luffy.

"Him?!" The questions were synchronised.

"Yes, him." Sanji drew on the cigarette, less aggressively this time.

"Well, what did he say? Do?"

"Some bullshit about being the one to name Tziganu and how he had no choice but to chuck her in there."

"Pfouah! Likely story!"

Sanji nodded, he wasn't about to give the reasons Hawkins had given him.

"Well, forget the two people with bad faith. We have a plan!"

They fell to discussing.

Half an hour later, a boy of about twenty years entered the Starbucks, bought a coffee and a sandwhich and sat nearby. He seemed to do so without realising. Upon hearing a certain voice, he looked up from the Tuna salad sandwhich and went to stand by the table.

"Well, well, well. It sure has been a while!"

The three looked up.

"You!"

"You don't sound glad to see me." the boy pouted childishly.

"Course I'm not! You think way too much of yourself! What are you doing here!?"

"Come to check up on this girl in the cell. Sounded interesting."

"Bastard! What're you gonna do?"

"Nothing."

"Fujiiro!"

"Oh, come on Tsuki, cut me some slack. Let me be curious. I mean, she is some cousin, after all!"

"Who's this?" asked Chopper.

"No one worth mentionning." Tsuki said quickly. "Leave!" she ordered Fujiiro.

He laughed, "Ouh! High and Mighty Tsuki hime! Giving orders are we? What if I dont feel like it?"

"Just get lost!"

"The woman has a nice tongue." Tsuki scowled. He had always been like this.

Suddenly, loud annoying metal blared from his pocket. "Sorry, Hime chii, need to take this one. Hello? Oh? Yeh, but. Sorry, I didnt mean it that way. Fine! I'm on my way" he snapped the flip-top phone. "See ya around, cuz! Oh, and by the way, Dad said you're coming back with us! That'll be good no?"

Tsuki scowled. "Tell your Father that he can go back to hell where he belongs."

The boy winced. "You know that he"

"Go to hell as well!"

The boy left, obviously hurt, but trying to hide it.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Chopper.

"Long story. we don't have time. I'll tell you after we finish this plan, kay?!" the questionning glares were getting to her.

"Kay."

And so another strange new element was thrown into the mix. The Devil's son.


	12. Chapter 12

Freedom

The gate clanked open, slowly, tortuously. Oh, hurry up! They led him from the cells, to this small hatchway in a wall.

The woman behind the counter, who was wearing sunglasses for what could only be described as no apparent reason, checked the number on his lapel and disappeared from sight. He stared at the empty hatch, glaring, though he didn't seem to realize that he was.

"Prisoner 98135, belongings upon entrance:" she announced to a tape recorder, in a clear, emotionless voice. "One black and maroon tracksuit. One pair of Reebok training shoes designed for professional sports. Small change found in pocket. ID. And one club card to a local sports facility: The Crossed Swords Fencing Association." These she dumped in a little plastic tray and passed them over.

"Congratulations on your release, Roronoa Zoro." She said.

"Yeah." He dismissed, taking his stuff. They'd left it the way it was. Good. He didn't like people screwing with his stuff.

He changed in the room they led him to next. Tchyeah, this was annoying. He was leaving. Great, for him. But he was leaving the others behind. Well he wasn't about to regret having done nothing. No Regrets, the line he'd lived by, but….and yet…and yet it felt wrong to just turn his back, he was pitying them, not regretting anything. He couldn't do anything. They'd be stuck. Ace, Franky, Brook, Robin….

Robin. God, he was leaving her behind. What was he supposed to do! Bust her out? How?

He was agitated now, this was difficult! He didn't even know how long she'd been given. Dammit!

They shoved his shoulders, he'd stopped walking. But he started moving again now. He'd find something to sort out this mess.

A waiting room, it was raining, they called a cab.

"Don't bother, I'll walk." He said, making for the door. It wasn't as if he had any idea where he was going, nor did he have anywhere he particularly wanted to go. He'd just drift.

He left before they could call him back, the rain felt refreshing. He looked at the sky for a moment, letting something that could be considered "life" fall into him through the rain. Not that he was a great poet, but anyone after being stuck in there for two weeks would feel alive, standing outside a hell-hole, in the rain.

"Well, go left?" he asked himself, turning.

"Which way you going, Marimo?" asked a voice behind him. He looked over his shoulder.

Two people were standing there, sharing an umbrella.

He raised an eyebrow. "What you two doing here?"

"Waiting for you to be released, idiot."

"And why?" his eyebrow arched in a curious glare. "Not like you, Tsuki. What're you doing with the idiot, Strawhat, anyway?"

"You wanna know?"

"We're gonna…"

"Shut up, Luffy." She trod on his foot. "You gonna come with us, Marimo?"

His eyebrow was joined by a second. "Why?"

"Because we need you." Said Luffy, grinning.

"What do you want from me?"

"Come with us and find out." Tsuki gave him a long, hard look. "Come and listen for a second, you might find something of interest."

He had nothing to lose. He nodded and followed.

Sanji and Chopper were waiting. They had found a base not far from the prison for a while, in the form of a small bed'n'breakfast. The sweet landlady didn't ask for much in terms of rent, and the rooms were quaint, if a little old fashioned. They had rented two, the only two available, meaning that Tsuki had to share with one of the guys. Sanji'd immediately insisted on himself taking the bed.

"Uh Nuh." She'd said. "Chopper."

"Why?!"

"Cos it's my decision." And Chopper was calmer around women and wouldn't try to seduce her whenever he had the chance.

So Sanji was currently sharing his room with Luffy, the idiot who wouldn't fall asleep till midnight and then would wake up at random intervals during the night to complain that he was hungry.

"Think it'll work?" Chopper asked, after a long wait. "This plan?"

"We don't really have a better one." Sanji blew a long plume of smoke out of the window, where it added to the grey mess of cloud that was the sky. "But it does tend to depend on an awful lot of circumstantial givens."

"What's that sposed to mean?"

"Means that we have to be certain that a lot of things that might not happen will."

"Yeh, that's what I was thinking."

Another long silence. Chopper wanted to ask so much, yet had no idea how to go about asking it.

He'd just opened his mouth to try and ask Sanji how he felt about being a part of the mafia so that he might compare his own feelings when there was a knock at the door.

"The door's unlocked, please enter." Said Sanji, automatically. The landlady poked her head round the door. Cue for a noodle dance*.

"Makino san?"

"Luffy asked for you two." The woman smiled. "He's in the lounge."

"Coming." Said chopper, grabbing Sanji's wrist and pulling him through the door.

Zoro was sitting in the lounge, eating the meal he'd been offered. The best thing about that prison, you appreciated any food you were given after that. And this was good stuff! Steak and chips! Just what the doctor ordered.

Tsuki waited for him to finish up, while almost all of Luffy's purpose was aimed in stealing chips from Zoro's plate without him noticing. God, that boy could've been made of rubber, his reach was so long, he actually managed to steal them.

It was about the tenth chip stealing attempt that he yelped. He had fork marks on his hand. "Hey!!"

"Get your own." Zoro acted as though nothing had happened.

"Awww come on!"

"Get lost."

"Makino! Frites!" Luffy whined loudly. She laughed, appearing at the door.

"Luffy, you havent changed a bit."

Zoro looked up from his steak. "You know him?"

"Yeh, Makino's my foster mother from before I could go to Merry Sunny."

"Poor woman."

Sanji and Chopper followed in behind a chuckling Makino, sat down on the sofa and waited for Makino to return with the chips for Luffy.

"Thanks!" he started gobbling them down fast.

"Luffy, you'll choke…." The warning came too late. Luffy coughed several hacking coughs. Sanji sighed, stood and whacked him really hard on the back.

"Thanks Sanji."

"Yeh, yeh. Eat slowly and enjoy the food will ya?"

"I am enjoying it!"

"Right, did you bring me here to cough at me, or are you going to tell me what you wouldn't before? Meals arent generally free."

"join my mafia." Said Luffy, immediately.

Zoro laughed. He couldn't help himself. "Your Mafia?! You gotta be kidding me! a runt like you a mafia boss! My arse!"

"He's serious." Said Chopper. "I couldn't believe it at first either, but Luffy really means it."

Zoro stopped laughing, growing serious. "Say for a second I do join, what's in it for me? nothing as far as I can see. So what's the point?"

"We're busting niichan out!"

"Oh right! So you're magically gonna bust Ace out, bravo."

"Not just niichan, the others too, and Eli."

"Good luck."

"Oh, and you're willing to leave them behind?"

"Well no! but I mean, come on."

"Come on what?"

"Well…." He wasn't quite sure what he wanted. He was pulled by his desire to save the others, but he didn't want to get shoved back in that god-awful cell again.

"Fine" Tsuki gave way. "Then at least tell us the layout of the prison."

"What?! You cannot be serious!"

"Have you seen the look on my face? I am."

Zoro scrutinised the faces; they were dead serious, no one was laughing, smiling, no jokes. Something stirred at the back of his mind.

"If I join, what's the promise?"

"Well, we have to find a base. We cant use Makino san's B'n'B forever. And then we'll have to find out what we do for a living. Promise is shelter, mostly and everyone pulling in together."

"Fair enough."

"So you're coming?!" asked Luffy, excitedly.

"Nope. I can do that on my own."

"Awwwwww!"

"Leave it Luffy." Said Sanji, pulling out a pack of fags, jostling it to make one stand out from the rest, putting it in his mouth and lighting it. "He obviously doesn't give a shit about Robin."

Silence. Then.

"Robin?" asked Chopper and Luffy simultaneously. Tsuki looked at Sanji.

"When did you find out."

"Franky mentioned it one night in the staff room. Someone had spiked his drinks."

"Meaning you did."

"Tsuki chan, I wouldn't dream of it."

"OI! How do Either of you know!?" yelled an outraged Zoro.

"Bah, you didn't hide it really well. Blushing all the time."

"As well as making sure I didn't go near her unless it was unavoidable. That's just cruel!"

"Dick!" Zoro stood, shoving Sanji back.

"Grass head! Calm down!"

"Fuck you!" and somehow or other, they'd started a fight.

"HAHAHAHA this is funny!!" laughed Luffy, clapping his hands.

"Dude this isnt a Punch and Judy show!" Chopper said, worried.

"Look, guys!" yelled Tsuki, standing and walking between them. "We're in someone's HOUSE!"

"And?" spat Zoro.

"Am I the only adult in this room?!" she yelled at the ceiling. "Sit down both of you!"

"Sorry, Tsuki hime!"

"Who're you ordering around, Tenshi."

"you, moron!"

"Curly brow!" and they were at each other's throats again. Chopper stood and helped Tsuki separate the two men from their fight.

"Right! You two! Stop!" she panted. It was really hard to stop them. "Zoro, lay out the prison structure! I don't care if you're with us or not. We're gonna bust them outta there!"

"No bother, I'll come with." He said. "I've got nothing to lose. And it sounds less boring than trying to find a job at McDo."

"Took you long enough to realise that." He shrugged.

"Marimo's always been slow." Said Luffy, grinning.

"Not something I want to hear from you, Strawhat!"

"Ah well! We have another member! Makino! Can we have some drinks!?"

Makino came out with a few glasses and a pair of beer bottles. She served the drinks. "Luffy, I have to head off to the pub or else I wont get paid. Look after the house."

"Sure!"

"Great now lets get this plan in action."

"Hang on, anyone got a phone?"

"Why, Zoro?"

"Just pass it!" Chopper passed his GSM. Zoro pulled a card out of his pocket and began dialing. "Hello. Sensei. Yes, it's me. Yeh, can you send Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, and Shuusui to the following address." Tsuki hurriedly wrote down the address. "32 Willow Lane. The Hill, the capital. Send the clothes as well. Yes, this is the right time to do so! Thanks." He hung up. "So what's this plan of yours?"

*The noodle dance: the thing Sanji does when he sees a woman and he sorta turns into the genie from Aladdin, aka one long noodle for both legs.


	13. Chapter 13

**Visits**

Fujiiro sat outside the building, a smoking joint in his fingers. Just as long as dad didn't catch him, he was fine. His mind played around the incident in Starbucks. His cousin was hanging around and a girl who was supposed to be yet another cousin was in the mental institute. What a family. Add to that the cousin that had been taken hostage the previous year, he wasn't doing badly as far as interesting cousins were concerned. Whoever said family was boring?

"Niisama, you said you quit!" it was just uber-annoying!

"Shut up, Ru! Who're you, dad?"

Ruriiro, the baby brother, the goody-two-shoes. However, he often got blamed for things that went wrong, and he lapped it up. It annoyed the shit out of Fujiiro that he could be shouted at and then look down and apologise. He was supposed to fight back! Take the bait! Fujiiro was the one who bullied him the most, but he still cared, slightly, for the thin young man beside him.

It is perhaps necessary to describe the two young men. they were both of Northern European decent on their father's side, and as such were pale. Other than that, you couldn't have guessed that they were brothers.

Fujiiro, a man in his early twenties, was tall, and contrary to popular belief, had naturally blond hair. But really blond, not the light brown that boys who were blond when they were kids have. Moving down, his face was sharp, defined, nothing out of place. Hell, he didn't even have a spot. His eyes were an odd colour, a sort of mix between light brown and green, with brown dominating. They were really light, so light that some yobs called him Pistachio, but at their own risk. Fujiiro had a quick temper and his love for sports, especially rugger, meant that he was equal to any yobbo in a fair fight.

Being the son of a well-off family, he was attending university, about to graduate in fact from a PPE course. It bored him. He hadnt chosen, his parents had forced him. He was supposed to work hard to succeed his father in office. Being the eldest, they never gave him the choice, his whole life had been a series of decisions made by someone else, even joining the rugby team. And so he rebelled in the only way he could: drugs, sex and alcohol. As long as his parents didn't catch him and he was careful, no problems, all smooth. He'd had girlfriend after girlfriend after girlfriend, not really caring who, and the relationship never lasted more than three months at a time. In fact three months was the maximum span. He never took the girls home.

Recently his parents had been pestering him to find a nice girl and marry. He didn't know what to do about that, he'd grown accustomed to just nodding and allowing them to think up the rest. This time it was a bit harder, what if he ended up with some fugly? He'd have to find someone and fast.

He dropped the joint and stomped on it, looking at his younger brother. He was resentful towards the teenager. He had it so easy!

Ruriiro was a beanpole, tall, skinny, lanky. He was an unrecognised genius and he was happy with that. He spent almost all his time with a nose in a book, any book, even Shakespeare was light reading for him. He was holding a book under his arm. 1984. He never read trashy books, Sunday-lemonade novels. They always had to be greats. He would walk into Waterstones, scoffing at the teenage fiction section, and going straight to the shelves marked Classic Fiction. He'd read Lord of the Rings more times than any one dared count.

Of course, that didn't necessarily make him a genius, but the report he brought home was always full of 90-100%s in nearly everything, and there was always a note of congratulations from the headmaster scribbled at the bottom.

Because they couldn't fault him, nor could they pin any responsibility on him, his parents ignored him most of the time. They only surfaced when he told them he was having a fencing tornament. Rapier fencing had been his passion ever since he read Dumas' The Three Musketeers. He was good, but not amazing. The tornaments were mainly held between the club's students and only people from a level fought to win some chocolates or something equally banal.

Nor was he particularly interested in anything other than his studies. Not even girls, something his older brother found astounding. He'd had his eye on one girl, though, for years. He wouldn't tell anyone, not even her. He was painfully shy. He would probably never tell Gleen he liked her. She'd probably laugh at him and tell him she liked him back, but as a friend. And he refused to get what his brother called "trial runs".

He adjusted his glasses, he'd run out of contact lenses. The eyes they protected were steel grey and his hair was the light brown of blond-grown-up, aka light brown.

"Father's coming." He said. Fujiiro stood, sighing.

"Let's get this over with." He groaned. "Why's he always getting us involved in his political crap?"

"Niisama. It's fascinating."

"Yeah, yeah, says the nerd."

Water off a duck's back, Ruriiro didn't even blink. The man approached. The family resemblance between him and his eldest son was incredibly marked when they were together.

"Fujiiro, Ruriiro. Good, you came."

"Course, Father. You asked us to." Said the elder, pulling a lazey smile on. "And this seemed interesting."

"We shall enter, then." He lead the way, followed by his sons.

White, white, white! Everything in here was white! White walls, white ceiling, white sheets on the white bed, white linoleum. White clothes to wear. Were they trying to render her insane!?

There werent even any books to read. Or things to do. All Eli could do was sit, staring at a wall. Most of the time she hummed to herself, what else could she do? She wanted her diary, but what would she write? "Today, I stared at the wall. Like every other day". Sighing she lay full out on her back, staring at the ceiling, imagining blue skies and clouds. Too bad they didn't make up for the real thing. Somehow, it seemed more dreary, rain clouds. She knew that soon she wouldn't be able to imagine anything at all. And they wouldn't let her out. Not for a second. She hadnt been allowed to send letters out either.

Shie sighed again, turning over onto her stomach, starting to force herself to sleep. What was the point in staying awake if there was nothing to do? She started dreaming.

_A little house down by a river. Who lived there? The town was a little farther off, a few minutes walk. Which town? A girl sat with her back to her, dipping her feet in the stream. It was a hot autumn day. A boy went over and sat down beside her._

"_What's up now?"_

"_nothing."_

"_Can't fool me. you're always like this. It's little wonder Teijo ojiisan hasn't kicked you away yet."_

"_Shut up, niichan!" why did that voice sound familiar yet unfamiliar? He laughed._

_The scene changed, everything was on fire. Everything. A gun shot, a fountain with rust coloured water. A girl with tears streaming down her cheeks. A baby's scream. Suddenly, she wanted to cry out! To warn. But against what, she didn't know!_

"_Don't."_

That's when a large hand descended onto her shoulder, waking her. She ghasped, getting out from under it. the brute nurse looked down at her with a look of haughty disdain. He was big and clothed int those awful pastel-green things that look like paper nurses usually wear. Since she was stuck in maximum security mental ward red alert or whatever the gits that held her prisoner called it, Eli's nurses were mostly male, except for the cleaning lady and the woman who watched over the women's showers. Maybe the cleaning lady was waking up to the fact that she wasn't mad, I mean she kept trying to talk to her about things, anything, nothing in particular. Maybe other patients did that as well.

The rest of them were just oppressing to say the least. They all looked at her with this weird expression. And one she didn't much like, halfway between a leer and a disdainful stare. Perhaps a lot of criminals feigned mental illness just to escape prison. Did that happen often?

Well, whatever the case may be, he was looking at her with that expression right now. What did he want, anyway? Test time was over and the showers and meals werent for hours yet. Maybe it was an emergency meetin with the shrink. She doubted it, she hadnt given them reason to want to see her. She hadnt done anything. She'd kept a hold of her emotions, herself, they couldn't have found anything. She'd done as Robin san had said and kept to herself, trying to prove she didn't belong there. They couldn't have found a reason to keep her here. could they? What if….but no, she hadnt….if they did….

"Nurse san?" one of the golden rules, it appeared: don't tell the patient anything, even your name. this cold-as-ice approach was chilling Eli to the bone. This white freezer they kept her in was seriously getting to her.

The large man said and did nothing, as though to prove this comparison to be correct.

"What have I done?" she asked, worried now.

"Come." Well, at least it was a response. Eli got off the bed, stretching slightly, a few bones cracking. She'd sat still for too long.

Coopperate, do as they say. Then they wont get you to stay. Coopperate. Don't do anything that might incriminate yourself. She repeated this, silently, to herself every time they took her out of the room.

He led her down a mass off corridors, winding their way towards no where that Eli could remember. He nodded at the women at desks, the jaw mashers. All they had to do was watch the corridors in case patients left their rooms for one reason or another. They were constantly chewing gum to keep themselves occupied.

Past these islands of desks, past cells of real crazy people. These last threw themselves at the doors, wrapped in straight-jackets, snarling manically. They frightened the girl as she walked past. Come on, who'd believe that she deserved to be in the same ward as these people?! These people really were mad.

Trying to take her mind of her fellow patients, Eli stared at the nurses back. His somberness was foreboding. She didn't like it, she didn't know why, she just didn't. she didn't belong here, but people like him were holding her away from the forbidden fruit that was her freedom. If that was a sin, she'd eat the apple and live with the consequences.

Around another bend, down the corridor. A pair of doors stood in the way. He pressed an identity card to the little scanner thing. The light flashed green and he pushed the door open. A mini corridor, then stairs.

That troubled her. The last time she'd been on stairs had been to go to the visit waiting room thing. Nothing good happened in there. People only went in their to say they were sorry she couldn't get out. As if to remind her of the fact that the bastard wanted her to fall into the deepest pits of her mind.

Down the stairs, to the door at the far end. he opened it, pushing her through first, then following.

"Nurse, don't follow. I have read the report, I'm sure I know what I'm doing." Uh oh. That voice. he was here.

"Very well, Chizu san. If you're sure."

The door shut with a dull thud and a snap as the handle was put into place. Eli stared at the three remaining occupants. A blond boy with nut brown eyes and a bespectacled one with brownish hair stood either side of the middle aged man with silver hair. They made an odd set.

"Yeah, I see what you mean, Father. She looks just like Aunt Sora's picture." Said the bigger boy, the statement accompanied by fervent nodding from specs.

"precisley why we cant be having this." Said the old man. "What do you boys propose we do?"

"Take her home, of course." Specs sounded like there was no other solution. Blondie didn't say anything, he was looking at the man he'd called father. Akihide chuckled.

"Not a bad idea Ruriiro kun." Eli didn't like the way he was smiling. "Not bad at all." He nodded. "Go get the papers for her release." He ordered the brown haired boy who ran from the room.

Eli stared, she should be feeling happy about this, but…something was wrong here. the smile on Akihide's face was sending warning signals down her spine and the look Blondie was giving only increased the worry. This was definitely not good.

Akihide stood suddenly. "They'll need my signature. Come Fujiiro. We'll be back here for you tomorrow, girl." And they left, leaving Eli incredibly confused and very, very scared.

Walking down the corridor, Fujiiro looked at his father.

"Father, Aunt Sora, you…."

"You know already, Fujiiro. I need not clarify."

"But the child she had…"

"better be taken care of."

Fujiiro gulped. There was never a question in his mind as to why certain people called him the Devil.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Best Laid Plans**

Usopp stared at the door, then back at the sheet of paper. His application sucked. This whole thing sucked. It all amounted to this. Fourteen years wasted, but well, what could you do? He looked at the door again. If he could get this job…

The secretary opened a door.

"Iceburg san will see you know." She smiled. Swallowing, Usopp nodded and entered the room.

A man stood in the room. He turned to face the boy. He was in his early forties, his hair a dark blue, probably a swap with the black paint, and he had stubble all over his chin.

"Well, Archer kun. What do you know about trains?"

XXX

The young police officer led her around the lobby. A young journalist here for a minor paper, apparently. Huh! Some minor paper! Minor paper journalists never looked this professional. Usually they were blond bombshells with very little between their ears and torn jeans; who were doing this as some kind of stunt for magazines. This young lady was wearing a very smart suit. Not too formal, very flattering as well. Yes, very professional.

Maybe she was one of those under-cover reporters for big papers pretending to be from a minor paper because given the current economic crisis they were finding it hard to fund payment of the interviewees. Yes, that sounded plausible.

Yet still the young man couldn't help trying to get a glance of her face every few seconds. A very sculpted face with defined cheek bones, a no-nonsense face, a fierce beauty. Not one you see every day, huh? Her black hair was pulled up into a pony tail on top of her head. Her makeup wasn't overdone. Yep, a rarity.

"So, which prisoners do you want to interview, again?"

"If possible, I don't want to interview. The angle is supposed to be negative." She said, pushing her glasses up her nose, into a more comfortable position. The lackey nodded.

"Umm, well I need to get the permission slips and stuff."

"Do what you must." She nodded and was lead to an office. A man was sitting behind the desk, feet crossed on the surface. He looked like he was asleep. He had a cylindrical chin that looked increasingly more bizarre and ugly the more you looked at it. His jutting eyebrows hid his beady eyes and the hat on his head was just plain ridiculous. If only that were the only part of him that was jutting; he had a potbelly. If there could ever be rumours of a pregnant man, this guy fitted the bill a bit too perfectly. His dress sense didn't help matters.

"You'd think!" he yelled at the calendar on the wall in exasperation. "That with all these top security stories that I'd have made warden by now!"

"Hannyabal san." The officer commented in a raised voice to get the man's attention.

"Eh?" the comical looking man turned to face the door. "Oh!" he stood up quickly, and if you looked just close enough, you could see that his cheeks had reddened slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise. Welcome to my prison...I mean State Prison." He offered a meaty, yet long fingered hand. "Hannyabal Derek, Vice Warden."

"Stella De Angelino." Said the young woman, clasping the sweaty appendage limply, and letting go, trying not to give into temptation and wipe her hand on her skirt. "I'm a reporter for "Trauma and Crime"." She pulled out a sheet of paper from her briefcase.

"A foreign paper?"

"Not as such, a local paper in a rural village." She nodded jerkily. "We heard about this interesting case and decided to make it a large story in albeit a minor paper."

The Vice Warden was nodding in appreciation. "I see, I see. Well Angelino san, I'd be happy to"

"Show me around." She cut in, inconspicuously fiddling slightly with her neckline. "Thank you very much. I very much appreciate your efforts."

The words "cooperate as much as possible" died on the Vice Wardens lips. He nodded.

"But of course."

"Lead on." Stella De Angelino, or perhaps Tenshi no Tsuki with more makeup, black contact lenses, glasses and a change of clothes, said, trying ever-so-hard not to sigh with relief.

Could there ever have been a plan more riddled with holes? Someone had taken a machine gun and fired repetitively at the one Tsuki had thought up. Ok, Sanji had been right, the plan was full of conditionals, but...at least she could think on her feet to come up with a plan b!

"What is that!" she yelled, staring at the "map". It looked more like a two year old's drawing of a pair of rectangles touching and then a big open space.

"Well, I'm pretty sure it was like that." Said Zoro, leaning back in the sofa placing his crossed arms behind his head, and his crossed legs on the coffee table. "Maybe there were a couple of turns somewhere along the line. Oi, Luffy? Any chance of a beer or something? I'm parched!"

"Nothing more precise, huh?" she was furious.

"Well, I hardly expected to need to draw a map!" he snapped. "Of a prison cell I couldn't really see much of, and a bunch of random corridors that lead to a courtyard, which, I might add, was completely surrounded by 3 metre walls of solid concrete!"

Tsuki sighed. Well, at least "scaling the wall" tactics were out of the window. Luffy handed Zoro a beer and hogged a packed of potato crisps to himself.

"Hey Marimo! When are your friends coming?" asked an annoyed Sanji. He was cranky. Ok, they all were, but Sanji had real problems. Makino san was asthmatic and the whole Bed 'n' Breakfast was non-smoking. And he was running out of cig dough. He'd had to choose: use his money to eat (and cook) or use it for fags. The choice wasn't much either way. Chopper was relieved; at least now he didn't have to shy away from telling Sanji off about his chain smoker's habits.

"What friends?"

"The ones Makino was talking to you about? The one's you called for a few days ago!"

Tsuki, who had been looking at Luffy, blinked. There was another problem to add to the ever increasing pile! And the plan had been so simple too!

One: wait in pairs for Zoro at the two exits of the prison after his time in the clink was served. This case was so big that every reporter was talking about release dates etc. So they could plan for the day, and would just have to wait for the time.

Two: Using Zoro's knowledge of the prison, make a rescue attempt plan of action. If they were going to go through this ordeal, they might as well be prepared. And who better to gain knowledge from than an inmate.

Three: put plan into action.

None of these steps had been entirely successful. The prison was situated on corner between two roads: Impel Down Street and Enies Lobby Road. Behind it was Marine Ford Park. The exits lead in from Down Street (most people cut out the Impel part) and the park behind. Sanji and Chopper had been sent to the Park Entrance, but there had been so many cameramen, journalists, boom operators and just about every other type of new related person packed in front of the automatic doors preparing to pester the poor bloke with questions that they decided it would be pointless to try and push their way through them, and so sat on a park bench.

"If they start jibbering, then we'll know we're at the right exit." Sanji commented, lighting a fag. After having taken a couple of drags off it, he sent a text message to Tsuki. "R da exit. Waiting. Txt if c moss, plz." "Can't do much but wait, I guess."

Chopper nodded, a finger in his mouth, gnawing on his nail. He screwed his face up and pulled it out. We all have bad habits. It's a given. Sanji had smoking, Zoro had drinking, and Chopper bit his nails. He'd been trying really hard to stop, but he was such a nervous creature, the resolve quickly dissolved within the first few hours. Tsuki had given him a bitter thing that he had to put on his nail. "I doubt anyone wants a doctor with bitten nails to treat them." She said cruelly. But she was giving him a hand. He screwed his face as he tasted the disgusting shit and pulled his finger out of his mouth.

"I wish we didn't have to do this..." he whined. Unfortunately, someone'd overheard and the pair were immediately accosted by the leading journalist for "The Daily Line", biggest paper in the country, about possible affiliations of children to the mafia. It didn't help matters much that during this conversation with the lady in question, Chopper was doing most of the talking to prevent Sanji from answering every question with a "Yes! I love you!" or something equally idiotic, that Tsuki sent a text saying they had Zoro.

"We gotta go." He'd said, standing and trying to get Sanji to do the same. It was proving impossible with the current heart-eyes situation. Sighing, he leaned towards his partner and said the magic words. "Nami mass raped by gorillas..."

Sanji stood, hearts turning to flames. "I have to get her out!" that got every bloody journalist's attention. When Tsuki, Luffy and the yet-to-be-recruited Zoro met up with the other two, it was to find Chopper dragging a furious Sanji with a string of people behind them. They'd had to shake them off, then run back to the B 'n' B.

After that escapade, it looked as though Tsuki's plan was dead in the water. And what makes matters worse, Makino san was starting to get suspicious about her foster son's behaviour.

They had had the barefaced cheek to lie to the good woman: they were Luffy's friends from school and they were gathering in the capital to say goodbye to their headmistress, because, despite what the paper's said, she had been good to them. They felt the need to offer their condolences. Makino had been both satisfied and pleased with that answer.

"You're a good boy, really, Luffy." She smiled at him. "I just wish I could say the same of Ace..."

"Niichan's good too!" she smiled at that.

"He is." She eventually acknowledged. "But he is also misguided. We need to see him soon..."

The doorbell rang.

XXX

Edgar looked at his assistant. The new boy. That's how it appeared to everyone else, but Ed knew better.

"Usopp." The boy looked up. "I know I'm retiring this year, but are you really sure you want to take my place?"

Usopp frowned. It was either this or live as a criminal for the rest of his life. He wasn't prepared to end his life in prison.

Ed sighed. "you know best, Usopp. But if it was me, looking back on my life in this carriage, I'd have loved to have friends and not have had to lose my wife and child because I was not allowed off this train."

"I need money to live, Ed. And I don't have anyone to worry about anymore." He sounded bitter, but you knew he wasn't being deliberately bitchy.

Ed sighed again. "I understand that, really I do. But Usopp, life isn't life without people to share it with. And the people here are fleeting images. They never stay..."

Usopp bit his lip. He had to think about this.

XXX

"I'll gettit!" yelled Luffy, running to the door. Honestly, he was such a kid!

"It's alright, Luffy! I'm here already." Yelled Makino, hand already on the door knob. "Oh, hello Mr Postman."

"Makino san, good morning." He sounded perturbed...not a good sign. "Is one of your lodgers Roronoa Zoro?"

"Yes, he's Luffy's friend who's staying over for a while."

"I see. Well I have a delivery for him. And I'd do my best to keep quiet about him. The place is swarming with journalists..."

"I know." She sounded like she was smiling. "Thanks again."

"Bye then."

Makino san walked into the room, a artists tube shaped package in one hand and a package containing what was obviously clothes under one arm.

"Happy Birthday, Zoro kun!" she said, smiling. "You should've said."

"It's your birthday! Kampai! We'll celebrate!" Makino was nodding in agreement.

"Moron, my birthday's in Nov...What the hell!" He'd just got kicked under the table by Sanji.

"Well, Marimo! We should've known! Prank Day was always a popular day!" said a smirking Curl-Brow. "And when a lovely lady offers to throw a party for you, you shouldn't really put her down." He opened his eye, and a small spark told you that he was pissed off that Zoro had dared to put down the offer of a party held by their fabulous hostess.

"Watcha get! Watcha get!" Luffy was hopping around the room, chanting. "Show show show!"

"It's none of your business!" he snapped.

"AWWWWWWWWWWWW!" the kid pouted. "No fair! You gotta share!"

"How old are you!"

"Nineteen in May! But still! Zoro's a Scrudge!"

"You mean Scrooge!" Chopper exasperated voice heaved a great sigh.

"Yeah! That!"

Zoro unpacked the artist's tube. Three katana fell from the tube into his lap, wrapped in silk. With enormous care, he released them from their scabbards one by one, examining them thoroughly, even tapping them with a sort of cotton ball on a stick. The others tried to talk to him, but he was too engrossed in this strange state of enlightenment to notice a word they said.

"Oi Marimo!" yelled Sanji a moment later. "Answer the questions!"

Believe it or not, Zoro ignored him, and that sent Sanji into a bit of a rage. "Shitty bastard!" he threw a kick at Zoro's head. The leg connected with a bright red scabbard. Zoro had blocked at the last possible second.

"I advise you, Ero Cook." He said in a deadly calm tone. "Not to mess with me when I'm making sure my means of busting my friends out of prison have, indeed, been left in good hands."

Sanji couldn't complain about that, but he was still fuming. "How exactly?"

"Katana are delicate, Baka cook." Zoro sounded like he was explaining something to a two year old, and you could just see that this was having a negative effect on Sanji. "If they aren't maintained by my friend who I left them with because I couldn't keep them at school, they could be rusty and break when I try to do any type of fighting."

"Ah I _see_!" Exclaimed Luffy and Chopper in unison. Tsuki nodded, at least he was taking something into consideration. Sanji walked to the window, threw the fag end out onto the street and jerked another one from the pack.

"And the other birthday present?" asked an excited Luffy.

"It's just my clothes, idiot!"

"What boring presents! Your own swords and your own clothes." Luffy sounded like he pitied the poor swordsman.

"That's because it is Not my birthday! I asked for a friend to send these!"

"Oh...so no feast tonight." Now Luffy was sulking. "I'll go tell Makino san."

"No!" everyone turned to look at Sanji. "It was Zoro's birthday in prison, so we might as well celebrate now."

Tsuki raised her eyebrow.

"I don't want the dear lady to be disappointed!" babbled Sanji. "I mean..."

"We gettit already." Sighed the sole heroine. "Leave her be, then, Luffy."

"GREAT!"

XXX

Even after two days, life on the train was dull. There were only four rides between terminuses, and Usopp had been on this train so often, it wasn't exactly exciting. But he needed the money!

"Second thoughts?"

"No, Ed." He repeated for the umpteenth time. Curse the stupid friend of his to be the one who put the doubts in his head in the first place! Well, that was unfair. He knew the doubts had always been there, but he'd been too chicken to face them until Ed had started going on about friends and life.

As usual, they had stopped at West Blue Station. They'd be there for an hour's break before heading to the various mini stations of no great importance, then South Blue, more mini stations, and so on until Raftel Terminus. Fun stuff...not.

At least at the big stations: North, East, South and West Blue, they got an hour's break. Usopp got to look around the immediate vicinity around the station for a bit. What he hadn't anticipated was that today was a flea market day. We wandered around for a bit, one eye on his watch. After half an hour walking away from the station, he turned...and something caught his eye. He rushed to the stall.

"Ossan! How much!" he yelled, pointing.

"Fifty."

"No way!" He gasped. "For this thing? No way. 15 max!" after ten minutes haggling, it was his. But now, he was late! He sprinted to the station, clutching his prize. A plan was forming in his mind, but... No, no buts! This had to work! Or else... He shuddered. He didn't even want to consider the alternative.

XXX

Phases two and three of Tsuki's simple plan had to be crossed out completely. Zoro's map was crap, full stop. There was no way she could use that to formulate anything. So here she was, undercover, creating a word map to transpose after. She followed the podgy little man into the bowels of the prison. Two things she wanted: to not get caught in the act and to find Ace in a reasonable state of being. After that, she'd take what she got.

(_Dear Readers,_

_Sorry for the long wait, exams and university preparation. Very excited :p! Hopefully you'll still read. I did try for you._

_Hopefully you'll enjoy and comment.)_


	15. Chapter 15

**Dungeons and Dragons.**

Poor, poor Nami. She sat there, alone in the prison cell. Robin had been moved to another wing, leaving her to face the cackling daemons alone. It was almost too hard not to cry. She remembered the trial. Twenty years. She gulped. No one in their right frame of mind would stay sane that long. Not in here. Already minutes turned to days, months to years: and all that inside her own head. She felt herself turning into another person.

"Oi! Melons!" a plastic bowl, snuck out of the canteen at lunchtime whizzed past her ear, bouncing off the wall behind her. She jerked upright, staring at its owner. Her heart started to beat and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Alvida's smile had that effect on people. Jewelry Bonney's, on the other hand, was ten times more effective.

"What's the dream this time, Ginger Melons?" she leered. "Which knight in shining armour will we hear about tonight? You do know fairy tales don't exist? No one's gonna bother saving you."

"Awww! Dream Talker's going to cry!" leered the cellmate.

Self-hypnosis is a very peculiar thing. Nami had been trying to do it for a while now. It was how she had managed to put up with the Arlong mafia for so long. Forcing herself to believe she could get Kokoyashi back was a simple matter. This last venture was proving fruitless. Trying to make herself believe that someone would bail her out…a reverie that you had to wake up from. Who would have the money or the muscle to get her out of here? And Arlong wouldn't waste his oh-so precious time in doing so either. And Nojiko…

"Oh Nojiko!" quoted the candy floss haired bitch opposite. "Who's Nojiko? Your lover?"

"Give over!" cried the only woman with a heart in this joint. "It's hardly your place, is it! Bonney the L…"

"Hippo!" yelled the almost-prostitute.

"Shut up the lot of you." A new voice…a _man's_ voice. The other women instantly shrank back from the corridor.

As expected, a man, the first Nami had seen in two months, walked down towards them. He looked utterly ridiculous. The first thing you noticed, at least Nami did, was his green Egyptian hat thing, then his hideous face worthy of a gargoyle, then his potbelly and clothes. It made you wince. He stood to one side, revealing a young woman with glasses, a notebook and a stern expression. Very pretty. Rumour had it that the vice warden was a complete lech. That could only mean that this was the vice warden. Maybe she could pull something off…

"Theifssen Nami." Said the man in a surprisingly high voice for his size and build. "One of the few found definitely guilty. We don't have max security for women, they all come in the female prison hold. It's our next update project if we could get a decent budget. The warden keeps telling us it's superfluous."

The woman nodded, jotting notes down on one of those small hand notebooks journalists usually carry around. God, if she was planning to sleep with this guy for a story…journalists were so ambitious it was disgusting.

"You ask me, superfluous is hardly the word." Scoffed Nami. Might as well try and dish out the dirt while she had the chance.

The woman looked at her.

If Sanji could see what his angel looked like right at that very moment, odds are he would have cried. Or rather, gone on a rampage, but anyway.

The girls orange bob was greasy and hung in limp lines, gluing itself to the side of her face. The prisoner's jumpsuit she wore was torn in several place and the skin beneath was bruised and, in a few places, cut. There was a gash on her cheek and her chin had a yellowing bruise.

The woman shot her a look from under her specs.

"Sorry, my attire leaves something to be desired, I'm sure." Smirked the teenage girl. "But the showers are down and there are daily fights to contend with." She heaved a theatrical sigh. Time to try and get the man's hormones on her side, maybe… but something in the woman's face stopped her in her tracks. She turned her head aside. Somehow, the thoughts hurt. She stopped. She wasn't that audacious, not really.

"Well, Miss Angelino." God, the funny man was trying to be clever using foreign terms. And who was this foreigner? She didn't look that foreign.

"Thank you, Hannyabal san." She said, turning away from the barred door.

Nami stared. She knew thatvoice, surely to god. She looked at the face. But she couldn't have been right. Tenshi had purple eyes. Maybe she ditched the contact lenses. There was no way to be sure.

The woman left. Nami pushed her head back against the wall, moaning in desperation and exasperation at the sudden futility of her situation.

XXX

The trouble with a different wing of the same prison, you don't have the same bargaining muscle as you would have had back in the old, all-too-familiar one. Here, the women might as well have been men.

Robin sighed as for what felt like the umpteenth time, the woman with gut problems beside her let one go. The women's prison wing was split into parts. Robin was currently in the cells with other women from illegal substances raids, purely on the grounds that were she to be left with Nami, they might find a way of somehow signaling to their mafia to bust them out. As if that were at all possible.

Robin's nose wrinkled and the fith cellmate wheezed. "Fuck's sake, that's disgusting!"

"Shut up!" the large woman, the culprit, stood, towering over them menacingly. No one said anything. This woman was a bruiser.

"Ladies. Please, let's just try and keep calm and collected." Robin started to say, before she ducked to avoid the ham-sized fist.

"I said shut up!"

"Sorry." She apologized quickly. This was going to be hard. Footsteps from down the corridor. "Calm down, please. Sadie san's…" too late. But thankfully it wasn't Sadie.

"Nico Robin, come to the front." Called the vice warden. If she was going to get parole for good behaviour, she had to obey, right? She did as ordered. She gasped. What was she….

"Miss Angelino, you might be aware that Nico Robin had already been imprisoned once before…" Miss Angelino? It was Tsuki! It was so obviously her.

The girl looked up at her ex-teacher and nodded. She knew that Robin knew who she was. She tried to send a message through her eyes: don't blow my cover.

"if this is all, Hannyabal san, take me to see the men concerned in this case." The hideous excuse for a man turned and led her away, but Robin saw a small scrap of paper fall to the ground. She picked it up.

"Be at the bathrooms at ten." There was an artistic squiggle at the end for a signature. Robin recognized it.

"What are you up to?" she whispered to thin air, just as Olive prepared to start a fight amongst the other cellmates. Given a faint life line to cling to, Robin decided then and there that anything Tsuki had planned was worth investing a bit of time and effort in. she just hoped it was worth it. She didn't want the others hurt. That would be….

She shook her head. There was no point in worrying now. Now she had a simple choice: face whatever Tsuki had in mind or face Olive on a daily basis.

Robin smiled, hiding herself in the folds of a natural mask. "Now ladies, let's be reasonable…" she'd be there, Tsuki. God help her, she would be.

XXX

"ENOUGH!" howled Franky, clasping his hands to his ears. "God's sakes Enough! Spare me!"

"But Franky san. It's gloomy enough without music."

"Cat throttling's not considered music! Frankly, Brook, I believe you got the wrong end of the stick at the kiddy's violin lesson."

"If you would care for a demonstration."

"No! No more! Handkerchiefs can go hang!"

"But there is no washing line." Said the skeletal man, clutching a makeshift violin.

"Brook, play anything and I swear that thing will be broken!"

"But the smuggling!"

"Do I look like I give a shit!"

"Come on, break it up." A whip lashed out of the darkness. The small man, Saldeath stepped out of the shadows behind a pillar.

"The skeleton's driving me mad! Get him out of here!" yelled Franky.

"No." said the head of this prison sector. "Not without a word from the warden or the vice."

"You can't be serious!"

"Deadly." The hint of a twisted smile formed on the little man's face. Scary, someone Chopper's size was much more frightening.

Franky let out a deafening bellow and turned to hit his cellmate. Brook screamed. Saldeath's whip lashed once, twice, thrice. Franky's back was raw and he "calmed himself". Saldeath's attention immediately turned towards the other prison riots that had broken out during this one.

Panting, Franky slid down the wall, slumping beside Brook. He nodded at his friend and left the other man attend to their plan while he soothed his back against the cool tiles of the cell wall. Tomorrow, Brook would be the one to get the lashing, while he attacked the bars of the cell window with the makeshift file and the piss pot.

Franky had spent some time in a mechanic's and he knew metals better than metals knew themselves. Therefore the chemist's theory of urine eroding metal bars in prison cells was true, at least with these. Minor prisoners were held in old cells and the renovation had definitely been done by a man cutting corners. The old bars, the pure iron ones, were still in place. Under any other circumstances, Franky would have complained about the shoddy workmanship, but this gave him and his cellmate a useful escape exit. If they eroded the bars enough, they'd be free, more or less. Thing is, it would take at least a year, but better than serving out your sentence with Buggy, Don Krieg and some Mr 5. What a bunch of clowns. Apparently, the Buggy guy had been a clown, and the permanent makeup he wore proved it.

Franky listened out for the approach which meant Saldeath's return. The pain was sharp, but for some reason he felt sleepy. This charade of hitting his boney partner and getting hit so that they could escape was exhausting. He felt himself close his eyes. He wouldn't sleep, he'd just…

Franky woke to sharp yells. Brook was off the chair and looking innocently at their guest. Franky turned to look as well. A visit from the Vice warden… and a girl.

"What's the story here?" Vice was puce with anger.

"Sleep."

"Bird watching." The usual lies. One was asleep, the other was checking out signs of wildlife that they had been too passionate about before being chucked in the clink to forget the routine. It never washed, really, but prisoners couldn't exactly be sued, so they got away with it.

"Chopin Brook and Smith Franky. The former got into a prison fight and cracked his skull and is currently pleading a slight form of mental instability. We're keeping an eye on him." The girl nodded, jotting down notes on a small notepad.

"The latter?" she asked. Both cellmates looked at each other. The look in the other's eye said that they were both thinking the same thing.

"Scuse me miss? Have we met." Asked Franky, at exactly the same time as Brook asked.

"Would you do me the pleasure of letting me see your panties?" the girl raised one arched eyebrow. She looked so familiar! But right now, Brook was looking particularly odd, so no time to waste dwelling on bizarre possibilities. And utterly obscure ones. Tsuki would be searching for Eli, not coming to see them. That's all there was to it.

"Why would we have met?" she asked, suspicion in her tone. Franky threw his hands up.

"Just that you look like a person I knew. Just asking."

"Then keep quiet!" yelled the Vice Warden, slamming an open palm against the bars. "Begging you pardon, Miss Angelino." Ah, so it wasn't Tsuki. "The warden doesn't have the same influence over the prisoners anymore, they're a bit rowdy. My apologies." She nodded.

"Now, Vice Warden. I would like to see the last culprit." God she sounded like Tsuki!

"Of course." The vile vice took the girl down the corridor.

Once they were out of earshot, Franky cuffed the older man's head gently. "The hell was that! You don't just say that."

"I beg your pardon."

"Not mine you should be begging! Skeleton man!" sighed Franky. Sighing, he turned to his partner. "What's the score with the window?"

"About that…" Franky felt something welling up in the pit of his stomach.

"What?" he asked. "Why do I get the feeling I don't want to know?"

"The Vice Warden startled me…"

"And?"

"I accidentally dropped the file outside the window…"

"You did What?" Franky had Brook by the collar, shaking him. "If your skull wasn't fractured, I swear I'd be beating you up! You do realize we can't break out now!"

"Franky san, I apologize!"

"You better do more than that!" he dropped the boney man on the floor. "You can think up the next plan and execute it yourself!" he flopped down on the bed. "I give up." And with those three words, the prison cell suddenly felt more claustrophobic than ever before. The shadows lengthened. He'd only spent two-and-a-half months of his 10 year sentence. "God Fuck us all." he growled.

"Franky san?"

"Get on with what you had to do! It's your fault everything's broken, so fix it!" Prison changes people. Franky needed to get out of here or else he'd kill someone. And he would rather die first.

XXX

Iris lowered herself from the waist, revealing the large round breasts that were badly concealed by her shirt. Candy was giggling madly as the man she was toying with grabbed the back of the neck and pulled her towards him.

"New kid's not biting?" asked Iris, grinning cheekily through the bars. "Do I need different bait?" she groaned sensually at her new tormentee.

Ace was sitting against the side wall, looking at the other, deliberately ignoring the dark skinned prostitute.

"Find someone who gives a damn." He spat at her. She was putting her forearm under the hanging tits and pushing them upwards, feigning innocence.

Ace snarled. "Get the fuck away, you whore! Who said I needed you!" she laughed in his face.

"They all say that, love." She accentuated the word love, trying to make him lustful no doubt. "But you can see how long they lasted. And you're in for a long time." She slid a hand smoothly through the bars, until her shoulder made contact with the cursed things, reaching out and eventually touching his hand. He pulled it back in disgust. She laughed.

"I've not got much longer in this business, take me while you can, big boy."

"Get lost!"

"Aww don't be like that." She was toying with him, like a cat with a caged budgerigar. Well, this budgie wasn't afraid to peck. He slapped her hand away.

"I said get lost."

She laughed again. "They're calling me anyway. See you around, big boy. I might find place on my schedule next week." Tossing back her tightly curled hair, Iris headed towards the Crocodile guy who took her services without a second thought.

"Disgusting." Spat Ace.

"Now, now son." said his sumo cellmate. "No point in crying."

Ace brushed at his cheek. It was warm and wet. "Fuck!" he yelled, rubbing at his face. He knew why. Why he'd shed those shameful tears. Because he was desperate for someone to love. To accept him and to pretend, for a few, tender moments, that the woman in his hands was his… but.

"Your woman?"

Ace nodded. "Couldn't do that to her. No way."

"You're a good man, Ace san."

"If I was, I wouldn't be in here!"

"Life has its tests."

"Then it can test someone else." Ace huffed and turned to face the wall behind him, listening, despite his titanic efforts not to, to the sounds coming from the cell opposite.

XXX

God! Undercover was hard work. It had taken everything Tsuki had to not a) lecture Nami about her sluttiness, b) cry at the sight of Robin and c) tell none of the visited who she really was. They had all recognized her, but for the most part had convinced themselves otherwise as to her true identity. Thankfully!

Now they were heading to Ace. Each step, her heart quickened its pace, urging her feet to do the same. She kept them under control. But it was hard.

Hannyabal led the way. Left, she marked down mentally. She lifted up the notebook.

"Left, straight 3, left, straight 2, right, Nami. Back to stage 2, right, down straight 4, right, Robin. Back to entrance, right, straight 28, left, Brook and Franky." She just needed to remember this long and infinitely more complicated route to Ace. They came to a large iron door. An exit?

Hannyabal rapped five times, and when no one opened up, picked up a simple telephone; no numbers, just a receiver, and called down.

"Vice Warden to control, come in." static emanated from the piece. "Vice Warden Hannyabal Derek to Red Zone desk."

"Red Zone desk." Said a bored voice. "Zone blocked to the entertainment programme." The vice warden's face was a mask of pure horror. He shot Tsuki a sidelong glance. "Very well control." He eventually said, hanging up.

Tsuki raised an eyebrow. "Trouble?"

"Not trouble." Said a scarlet Hannyabal. "Just a blocked zone, the major zones are usually blocked off once a week. I forgot that it's at this time that Red Zone usually is."

"I see." Tsuki allowed a note of professional displeasure colour her voice, while her heart kept its pacing, but for a whole different reason. What was this entertainment! Vivid images of tortured prisoners, flayed at the whip, closed up in iron maidens, made to fight for scraps of food, flashed through the girl's mind. What were they doing to Ace!

"The prisoners are all treated the same." The others were tortured too! "But we have to keep those in the red zone on a tighter leash. You understand, Miss Angelino." She nodded. "I hope you got the material for the newspaper." Another nod. "Well then..." before the lucid, disgusting images the man obvious had mind could become more realistic, Tsuki put up a strict hand.

"I'm lesbian, Hannyabal san." He backed off immediately.

"Excuse me, I had no idea!" he babbled aimlessly.

"Lead me back to the entrance." She ordered and he did. As she left the prison, she heard him say: "Such a shame." Before turning and closing the door.

Back at base, she drew a map of the prison. It was fairly basic. Lines leading to boxes marked with names. She counted four routes. And once they were all together, then they'd have to sort Eli out. And the sooner the better.

Four routes, they were five, they couldn't do one each, they'd have to go in pairs: you couldn't trust Luffy to keep quiet, and you couldn't trust Zoro's sense of direction. When they'd agreed to meet at the park once, he'd gone to Starbucks and rung asking where the park was. That meant one three, and that'd be too risky. Unless…

"Ok, I got it!" she gloated triumphantly. The men gathered around her. "Luffy, you and me will go after Franky, Brook and then we'll go for Ace. Sanji and Zoro, you go after Robin and Nami. Together!"

"And me?" asked Chopper. "I don't know the mental asylum…"

"Uhhh, Chopper… I need you to stay here." The kid's face fell a thousand fathoms. "I'm sorry, I know you want to help, but…"

"I'm too small, right." Tsuki immediately felt like the ultimate bully.

"There's nothing wrong with being small, it's just that…"

"I'm small. So you need me to stay back." The kid was staring at his shoes, trying to put on a brave face in front of the others. Tsuki stopped her protestations. That was the reason she was leaving him to guard the fort. If they were caught, he'd never keep up. They didn't need to try and bust him out of prison as well.

"I'm with Marimo." Sanji sounded furious.

"No discussions!" Tsuki snapped. Those two had been at loggerheads with each other since Zoro left the clink. "Someone's gotta take care of Luffy. And Zoro gets lost too easily."

"I don't get lost! Things move!"

"Like the toothfairy." Muttered Tsuki

"Don't talk to a woman like that!" and they were off.

"This is fun!" laughed Luffy, clapping his hands while Tsuki and Chopper tried to calm the fighting pair for the umpteenth time. There was a knock at the door during all this.

Makino popped her head in.

Instant freeze-frame! No one moved a muscle. Tsuki had her hands on Zoro's and Sanji's chests, forcing them apart. Chopper was about to hug Zoro's waist, pinning his swords to his side so that he didn't draw one from the scabbard. Sanji's foot was in midair, halfway to Zoro's face. And Zoro had a fist up in defense.

Makino blinked. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"Acting training." Said Tsuki. "These two were just practicing to get good enough for the festival next year."

"Which festival?" Makino sounded intrigued.

"The Edinburgh festival. Zoro was a great actor at school."

"I see! It's so lifelike!" she sounded amazed. "Well, a friend of yours has arrived." She smiled. Everyone raised an eyebrow in unison. Vivi came back?

"I'll leave you all to chat." smiled their hostess, stepping back to reveal…

Tsuki, Sanji and Zoro all put hands over their eyes in disbelieving anguish. Chopper and Luffy stared at the person in the doorway in amazement.

"Who're you?" asked Luffy eventually.

"You can't be serious! You know who that is!" Zoro yelled at the boy.

"No I don't."

Tsuki was amazed. A mask and the puss in boots hat and cloak from the Christmas panto, a pair of shades and Luffy couldn't recognize his best friend's nose.

Usopp had bought the mask at the flea market, yet his nose was so ridiculously long that he'd had to drill a hole right through it to allow for the facial feature. He'd salvaged the hat and cloak from the panto box solely by keeping them for practicing in his room and as luck would have it, he'd had time to grab his backpack before leaving the school in a hurry. Isn't fate twisted? Among the stupid things he carried in his back pack were the physics notes he'd made, including the design for the most accurate slingshot. One of the train rides had consisted of him scrounging parts from the engine room to build it and some smoke bombs and other nasties. And here he stood, looking at his friends through eye slits and praying he might get away with this. The prayer was halfheard.

"I am Sogeking!" he yelled. Tsuki rolled her eyes and looked at the wall in contempt. "My good friend, Usopp kun, has requested I help you in your arduous task."

"It's a super hero! It's a superhero!" yelled Chopper jumping up and down in excitement.

"Yeah!" agreed Luffy, eyes shining.

"I'm surrounded by idiots!" exclaimed Tsuki. Uh oh.

"Fear not for I, Sogeking, shall aid you in the rescue of your brave friends!" Usopp grabbed Tsuki's wrist, pulling her to him. "Don't tell Luffy or he'll kick me out."

"As he should!" she hissed. "You deserted us."

"Come on, I changed my mind. Let a guy make mistakes!" he pleaded. "I could help as a distraction."

"Best thing you could do was to be strung up by your feet to the flagpole." She glared at him.

"Just…give me the benefit of the doubt!"

"No!" she shoved him away.

"If that makes us six, I can come too!" yelled Chopper, dancing in triumph. Tsuki stopped short. She smirked. "Yes, you and Sogeking." She said. "You go for Franky and Brook, then. Luffy and I'll go for Ace, he's farthest."

"Yesssssss!" Chopper punched the air and started jumping around. "I'm going! I'm going!" he chanted.

"And if you get caught." Tsuki whispered, watching Usopp's Adam's apple move as he gulped. "then we'll rescue Chopper."

Smiling sweetly with malice, she turned and said: "Ok guys! Let's go to bed. Tomorrow, we bust them out."

Everyone cheered.

"Banzai!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Code Red**

Despite his best efforts, including the disgusting shit on the nail in question, Chopper's thumbnail was being gnawed.

Timing was essential. Zoro and Sanji would go first, they had to get to two different parts of the prison. Then Luffy and Tsuki, theirs was the hardest to get to. Then he and the mysterious Sogeking would have their chance.

They'd enter from the Down Entrance. The main entrance on Marineford Park was so heavily guarded, it was impossible to get through. All they had to do was wait for the signal that they'd got Nami, the farthest away bar Ace, and they'd have to dash to Franky and Brook. If only that were the only thing they had to do.

"Isn't this illegal?"

"Chopper kun. Nothing of what we are doing is legal." Said Sogeking, as his finger came down on the switch.

XXX

Smoke filled the prison. Pulling on his balaclava, Sanji ran through the entrance. A few well-placed kicks and the bewildered guards were out for the count. He turned and waved Zoro forward. Suddenly an alarm went off. Shit they were caught already! Then a crash and the noise stopped.

Sanji ran up just in time to see Zoro sheathe his white katana.

"Sorry about that."

Sanji looked around and saw what had happened.

"Idiot Marimo!" he yelled. Zoro had walked right through the metal detector. It lay in ruins, sliced in half. Exasperated as he was, Sanji was glad that they'd managed to blind security cameras with Usopp…Sogeking's "Sure-Kill Smoke Bombs". He was also extremely happy that he was the one in charge of the signal.

"Daydreaming'll get you nowhere, Ero Cook." Zoro yelled, setting off at a run. Crap!

"Oi Marimo!" Sanji ran after him. "I'm supposed to be leading."

"That's if you can get anywhere with your head in the fog."

"Head in the clouds…Oh Never mind, just get in behind me!" Sanji ran after him.

Zoro hated taking blatant orders from anyone. "No, you get behind me." He and Sanji were at a matching pace.

"Shitty Marimo! You are jeopardizing the whole operation!" Sanji ran faster.

"Not my fault they put metal detectors in the wrong place!"

"You were supposed to go Around the bloody detectors!"

Their shouting match was waking prisoners up.

"what's going on?"

"Who's there?"

"Not another fire drill!"

"What…"

"How…"

The screeching female voices almost distracted Sanji completely. Thank God he couldn't see them. Well done Tsuki, eh?

"Ah! I have no time for this!" he ranted, running ahead. "Right…" he counted, turning where the map had indicated. It had taken him hours to remember both routes. Nami first. Then Robin.

"About HERE!" he said, skidding to a halt. "NAMI SWANNN!"

"Marry me!" said a voice from the other side of the caged cell.

Sanji's eyes turned into hearts instantaneously. "Nami swannn, you mean it?"

"Sanji san?" huh, a voice from the cell. Different to the first.

"Nami swann?" he heard something metallic. Curse this mist, at least it was starting to thin slightly. He could see Zoro drawing the katana. And he could see the individual cells.

"Nami swannn?" he called again. A figure rose and walked to the front of the cell. The mist was still thick so the silhouette might have been distorted.

"Marry me." It repeated.

"Nami swann, I would cross the plains of Tatarus…."

"Enough about bloody cooking! Save your Tartare Sauce." Growled Zoro behind him.

"...Tartarus. Like Orpheus to Eurydice."

"Fuck this." A whistling sound. A clanking of metal. The silhouette ran to Sanji, hugging him. This was all wrong. Nami san wasn't this fat. Nor was she this tall. Nor did she have pink hair…. A face looked at him through the mist. Sanji could have sworn he had a heart attack.

"Eurgh! Lemme Go!" he squirmed in the monstress's bear hug.

"You said we'd be married."

"I meant Nami san! Not some impostor of a…" he couldn't say it. Even to an ugly as hell woman, he couldn't say it to her face.

"So I've been rejected?" her face turned into one of anguish for a second, then it passed. "Fine!" she said. Oh god, a woman scorned. "Nami's in the cell next to mine." She said. Sanji blinked. He wasn't in trouble? Well, nutters did get into prisons...but now was not the time!

"You really cant do anything, Baka Cook!" yelled Zoro.

"Marry me!"

"Get lost Fugly!" he pushed her aside and after a few air-whistling noises, swiftly followed by clanking, and Nami ran out of the cell…and hugged Zoro.

"Thank you!" she yelled. "I thought I was gonna die!" she was crying. Sanji had smoke curling out from his ears.

"Yeah…that's great."Zoro was not fazed by this. But he needed to get to the real goal. Robin. Casting Nami aside, he turned to a fuming Sanji. "What you waiting for?"

"You're right." Sanji's leg came up to Whack Zoro in the face. The body building ex-gym teacher blocked it with his forearm.

"You have issues, Cook!" he exclaimed. "The Fuck is your problem?"

"The gallantry you possess towards women is next to none." Snarled the other man.

"Get your priorities sorted! Now is hardly the time!" screamed Nami. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

If she hadn't been there, Sanji most definitely would not have budged. Throwing Zoro the filthiest look you have ever seen, he turned, scooped Nami up into his arm like a Disney princess, turned and ran towards Robin's cell. As he ran, he pulled out a small device. Another bunch of acid bombs blew a few of the cells open and some of the women started cheering and rushing out.

Sanji looked at the woman currently clutching his shirt in nervous fear.

"How?" she asked after a while.

"Let's just say, I had to quit the day job." Sanji regretted that a bit. Head cook of the prison, one Jessica san, was a hard-to-find catch. But his flame haired beauty took priority. At least he'd said goodbye properly… with rash promises that she'd cast aside, but anyway. To be honest, she was both happy and sad to see the back of him. "Sweet and Sour loss." He'd heard her say. " Put Chinese on tonight's menu!"

Well, it had been a way of planting bombs. Chopper'd somehow managed to swap places with a food errand boy who had access to cells and aisles and planted the bombs.

They rounded a corner. Focus, man, focus! Time for your other girl!

XXX

The signal! They had minutes before the other cops got on scene. And the fucking moron was asleep!

"Luffy!" She yelled, shaking him this way and that. His head lolled left then right. "Ace needs us!"

"Meat…Ace gimme back!" Luffy was still in dreamland. "Hungry! Want meat!"

"Fuck's sake!" she screamed, his eyes flew open at that. "Will you cut it out! Signal's gone and it's time we went."

"Where's the meat?"

"Moron! Pull yourself together." She felt the sudden urge to slap him, but his wide eyed innocent expression stayed her hand. Instead, her raised hand grabbed his wrist and forced him to his feet. "Come on!" she barked.

Blinking, Luffy came to his senses. "ACE!" he yelled and ran out of their hiding place. Tsuki facepalmed. There was just no cure for imbecility. She ran after him.

XXX

"That's us, let's adjourn!" yelled Sogeking, dashing out to make sure his small partner didn't notice the fact that his legs were trembling. Come on, Usopp, you can do this. You're a superhero now, Sogeking. They were depending on you. Franky and Brook depended on you. Chopper depended on you. You were a leading figure. Don't screw up!

He checked over his shoulder. The poor kid was scared. Really scared.

"Fear not!" he called to him. "Sogeking shall protect you."

"Really.?" What could he say to that?

"Of Course!" he tried to keep his real thoughts at bay.

They snuck up to the gates. The sound of sirens was still far off, but they'd catch up. Taking his courage in both hands, Sogeking ran to the entrance, Chopper on his heals. Drawing the map out of his pocket, he hadnt had time to learn it by heart, he ran into the mist. They had minutes, half an hour if they were lucky to find Franky and Brook and get the hell out of there alive.

"Right." He skidded around a corner. Chopper ran right past him. He leaned out, almost in a limbo movement. "Chopper kun!" he hissed. The little figure didn't hear him. Suddenly he saw the silhouette stop.

"SOGEKING?" it yelled, fear and alarm clear in the kid's voice.

"Over here!" hissed his partner. But it was too late. People were waking up.

"What?"

"What?"

"What!"

Shit shit shit! Not good not good not good! Very bad very bad SHIT! Usopp's mind was racing.

"Where are you?" wailed Chopper. Oh god, the kid was about to start crying in fear. Dashing out round the corner, whilst somehow managing to keep his hand against the wall so that he'd know precisely where he was compared to where he needed to be, Usopp grabbed his friend's wrist and ran back down the corridor he had been allocated. He ran like the wind, Chopper trying to keep up and failing. No helping it. He couldn't trail the kid around like a windsock!

He stopped and pulled the boy onto his back and ran for it. He could hear sirens. Panic!

"Chopper kun!" it was all he could do to remember the suffix. He handed him the map. "Where do I go!"

"Left!" Usopp nearly ran into a wall. "i meant the other left!"

He turned right.

"Ah I'm holding it upside down." Yelled the boy.

"Get it the right fucking way up then!" Usopp had lost it now. Honestly how was he supposed to keep up this charade under all this stress?

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" yelled a pathetic Chopper, panic driving his poor little nervous system over the edge.

Ducking down, Usopp picked up the paper that had fluttered down in front of him, turned it the right way round, doubled back on himself and ran like the blazes. They had better be here! Please! Now was not the time for them to find their targets had been moved.

XXX

Hiding behind a pillar. Crap, they'd started the airco!

"The women's block is always the first to be checked."

"What the hell are you doing here pinky?" Zoro fumed.

"Helping."

"What? Why?"

"Repayment for getting me out. And Nami's friends are mine."

"Lola." Nami eyes welled up with emotion at that.

"Shut the hell up and let's get Robin and leave!" Zoro was getting snappy. The loss of cover meant that they could get picked up at any time! Sanji was getting pissed.

"Left then!" he spat at the green haired idiot. "If you know which direction that is."

"What's your problem, Cook?"

"The partnering of a gentleman and a coarse, insufferable brute!"

"You shouldn't have such a downer on yourself. Now let's move!" as he spoke, Zoro left at a run.

"Unbefuckinglievable!" Sanji ran after him, Nami following behind. She'd weighed down on him, so he had requested, most politely, that she go on his back. For once, she had refused any form of aid in that respect and ran behind. But right now, he had to play sheep dog.

"Right!"

After a long time of barking orders and snappy retorts, they finally found Robin.

"Robin!" Zoro ran up to the bars. She was asleep. Or rather, pretending to be. She sat up, staring incredulously at the man behind the bars. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Hold it right there." They heard a click, the sound of a gun being cocked.

XXX

"Yohohohoho" and stress was making him hear stuff...brilliant.

"Franky san, Franky san!"

"Professor Brook!" Chopper was yelling. "Where are you? Professor!"

"I must be going mad."

"Franky san!"

"Yep, definitely losing it. I knew we should've gotten out of here! And we lost the file!"

Heaving an enormous sigh of relief, Usopp ran to the voices.

"Chopper?" the silhouette of a large man approached the just-visible bars. "The fuck? I've lost it! They should throw me in with Tziganu!"

"Yohohoho! Then I should be guilty of the same crime!"

"Thank God!" Usopp ran to the bars, dropping Chopper unceremoniously. He fiddled in a pouch, producing a handful of small round objects. Dammit which ones were the concentrated Sulphuric Acid?

"Us..."

"Sogeking!" he called through the bars. "Shall save you two gentlemen this very evening!"

On the other side of the bars, Franky raised one eyebrow. He couldn't see properly. Someone had filled the room with smoke. And now some figure in a smudgey mask was bending over the lock. He was almost 100% sure it was Usopp. When the figure introduced itself, he was sure of it. Now what was Usopp doing pretending to be someone else? And from the sounds of it, Chopper was swallowing the lies wholeheartedly. The gullible kid...

"Dammit." The figure in front of him hissed. "I cant tell!" he stood. "Never fear, gentlemen. Just stand far away from the bars."

No need to be told twice, Franky and Brook turned and ran to the back of the cell. There was a loud bang and the pair turned to face a large hole in the bars.

"Dont touch the bars. They might still be acidic." Warned the boy on the other side.

"Right now, I don't give!" Franky dived through, swiftly followed by Brook. "Lead on boys! Get us out of here!"

XXX

The place was swarming! Dumb ugly brutes, bearing cudgels, and what looked like tazers. They didn't call it the red zone for nothing! It was hot as vindaloo. Danger zone! They were pressed so close to the wall, they were almost squished one on top of the other. Tsuki could feel Luffy breathing on her neck... it was uber distracting!

"Stop doing that!" she hissed venomously at him.

"What?"

"Breathing!"

"sorry!" he pulled a face. She, about to continue her cut off sentence, almost burst out laughing, he looked so stupid.

"The fuck man?"

He started making a lot of humphing and hmmming noises and gesticulating with his hands. She hit him.

"OUmph!" he yelled. Not for the first time, a hand was clamped down hard across his mouth. "Mukwi!" he glared at her reproachfully.

"Shuttup!" the girl poked her head around the corner for the briefest of instants. They'd been heard! A couple of the skin-head gorillas had turned in their direction. Grabbing the boy by the wrist, Tsuki hid the pair of them behind a ledge of a cell that was jutting outwards. Thankfully, Blue Goris didn't need much in the way of IQ and just went back to trudging around the gate. Letting the breath she was holding free with a quiet sigh of relief, Tsuki shot Luffy a look.

"Pay attention!" she hissed. Leaning down, she rummaged around in a small side pouch, pulling out some of Usopp's bombs. "Don't breathe!" she ordered her partner. Dropping a touch of water on each of the small pellets, she threw them at the door. Smoke emanated from them. It was highly toxic, Usopp'd told her. "And it'll weaken the metal of the door considerably, if I haven't miscalculated".

He better not have. Holding her breath, Tsuki dragged Luffy into the smoke.

XXX

"Step aside." The man holding the gun leered at the four prisoners. "Quite a riot you've stirred here."

"Fuck a hologram, Spam." Spat Zoro.

"Ah uh uh." The masked freak grinned. "Who's holding the gun?"

"Shitty bastard." Sanji's jaws were clenched. He could throw a good kick, he was sure. Zoro's hands were on the sword hilts, he could see... and was Robin chan about to do something unexpected?

Clink

Smack

"Ugh! Agh!" Swords broke the gun, foot to the stomach, slap in the face from Nami and now Spandam found himself in a headlock, courtesy of Robin.

"He...he..." the pressure on his neck was not allowing him to call for help.

"Not so tough now are we?" sneered Zoro, and for once, Sanji couldn't have agreed more.

The seedy little man tried...and failed, to plead for what seemed to be his miserable life. But no sound came out as Robin tightened her hold around the man's neck.

"I should've done this years ago." She said, pushing his body away with her knee, still holding onto his held. There was a nasty crack, a gasp and a dead body was released from the fatal headlock and rolled across the floor.

Nobody moved a muscle for a couple of seconds. Everyone was staring at Robin.

"Clutch." She said, with an air of finality. She looked up at the others. "What? I should have done that years ago."

Sirens not far off drove the others out of their current state of shock. No time to worry about a dead guy. Zoro grabbed Robin and ran.

"Oi Marimo! Hell!" Grabbing Nami, Sanji ran after them pressing the final switch. Their last explosion.

XXX

Running. Where to go? Where to go? They couldn't go back to Makino's or else they'd incriminate her.

"Take a left!" Franky yelled. No time to argue with him, Usopp veered left. They ran. The sirens were on their tail. Down back alley ways, round bends until they found themselves in a huge square with a fountain. 7 square. The posh district!

Grabbing the two boys, Franky jerked his head at Brook. "Come on!" he ran into a garage full of vintage cars.

"Franky san?" Usopp used a what-the-hell-are-you-doing tone of voice.

"Iceburg!" yelled the current leader. "Iceburg!" when no answer came, he flung the two boys under a Rolls Royce, the skeletal man under a Bentley and himself into an office.

Chopper was trembling. The blue flashing lights were everywhere. How had they gotten in here anyway?

"Sogeking..." he whispered.

"Shhh Chopper kun. We have to trust Franky san..." the small boy nodded, feeling his knotted stomach clench as the lights and sirens came ever closer.

Inside the office, Franky was doing some quick thinking. He saw stairs and ran up them, barging into the bedroom he knew he'd find.

"Wake up you lazy excuse of a..."

"Who the hell are you!" a man sat up in the bed.

"Oi, you know me!"

"You're the man from the telly! The guy in prison." The man edged for the window to yell into the street. Fuck! A mistake! Ok, no choice now! Grabbing the guy by the throat, Franky shoved him against the wall.

"Who are you?" he sounded tough, thankfully.

"Pauly..." who was obviously pissed off. "Iceburg san moved out two years ago!"

"Shit. Sorry man." Franky immediately apologised. "Look there are kids involved and..." he got punched. That pissed him off. "Now that's not very understanding." He tightened his grip on Pauly's throat. "is it?"

XXX

They were in...somehow. A slight scuffle with the guards, but not much harm done. Not strictly speaking true, but if there was any harm, it was nothing compared to what they had to face next.

Leaning against the wall, Tsuki was panting. The sweat from her brow trickled into the cut on her cheek, making it sting like no man's business. Luffy was sitting on the floor, also breathing heavily. He was covered in bruises and grazes.

"That." She said. "Was for being an idiot!" the dark haired boy had somehow managed to yell that they were all there and got them into a fight, despite Tsuki's best efforts at stealth and disguise.

"Sorreeee!" complained the battered boy.

"Fine let's go find Ace!" she pushed herself off the wall, clutching the heavy nunchaku she'd concussed the guards that had come against her with, and ran down, searching. They didn't have much time left!

XXX

The whore was still at the other end of the bars. Iris was determined. She was going to crack Ace. Leaning forward against the bars, letting forth a bit too much skin. She'd gotten overtime for this. She was going to be successful.

"Come on, Big Boy." She uttered, in a tone of voice that usually made the other prisoners run up and grab her. Not this one.

"Get lost."

"I am, darling." She smirked, innocently. If you can smirk innocently... taking a key out of her pocket, all "entertainers" were given skeleton keys to the cells, she opened Ace's and walked, hips meandering atrociously, towards him.

"Get out." He was pissed. She leaned over him.

"I'm used to having my own way."

"Not from me."

She smiled. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

XXX

Pauly was out cold.

"Dang, I went too far..." at least they'd be safe now. Franky ran downstairs. The garage door had been open, the sirens were still circling the streets. He ran to the office desk and shut it via the machinery. Hopefully anyone outside would think it was Pauly finally taking police sirens into account and shutting up for the night. Beckoning the others out from under their cars, he led them to the office behind.

"So." He said, seating himself behind the large oak desk. "What's the next stage?"

"We're safe for now?" asked a trembling Usopp-in-a-mask.

"For now. At least, until the blond upstairs wakes up."

"Maybe she'll show me her panties." Brook fantasised.

"It's a guy! Anyway! What do we do now."

"Call Sanji." Piped up Chopper. "That's what Tsuki told us to do." He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out his mobile.

"I was just about to mention that." Usopp pulled a pose. "Well done Chopper kun!"

The boys eyes lit up. He startled shuffling on the spot. "Stop! Just cos you said that, doesn't mean I'm happy, asshole!"

"You definitely look happy." Said Franky, snatching the phone out of the dancing boy's hands, scrolling down the contacts list and hitting Sanji's number.

XXX

They'd just managed it. They'd escaped. Now to blend in until they could find somewhere to go. Just hide behind the police car for now...

"_DAMN GIRL!"_ everyone turned to face Sanji.

"_Damn ,you's a Sexy Bitch, a Sexy Bitch!" _

"Crap!" he pulled out his phone. Chopper? Boy did he pick his moments to find a safe place! He could see Zoro's eyebrow arching in scepticism already. He hit the red hang-up button quickly and ran out towards the nearest houses. God, this was quite the night!

XXX

"_Hey, this is the Love Cook, baby, leave me a sweet message for me to get back to you. If this is a guy, fuck off."_

"Ok...this guy has serious issues!" Franky yelled, pushing the hang-up button before the tone came on. "The idiot's just gotta call us back." Putting his feet up on the desk and crossing his arms behind his head, Franky lay back to wait for the response.

"Make yourselves comfortable, lads. We've got a long wait."

The other three sat themselves down on the moth-eaten leather sofa, watching the numbers on the digital clock go up.

XXX

"And you didn't think to put your phone on silent?"

"Get bent Marimo!" They'd gotten out of the line of fire good and proper this time. Taking out his phone again, Sanji went to "Received Calls" found Chopper's and rang back.

"I'm tryna find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful!" Zoro "sang", smirking.

"Fuck you!" yelled Sanji. He was gonna kick the crap out of him when this was all over and that was a promise!

XXX

"_The thigh bone's connected to the hip bone and the..._" no one was about to find out what the hip bone was connected to. Franky grabbed the phone.

"Sanji?"

"The Delta Rhythm Boys." Brook sighed wistfully. He started singing the chorus. "Dem Bones, Dem Bones."

"Shut up! I can't hear Sanji!" yelled Franky.

"Doctorine used to play it all the time, she said it was good for me." Said Chopper.

A spanner came hurtling in their direction. "Will you be quiet! Sanji?"

"_Franky?"_

"The same."

"_Where's the hideout?"_

"You know 7 square?"

"_What?" _ there was a pause while Sanji yelled "Shut up Marimo" to some tone deaf singing.

"Water 7 Square, do you know where that is?"

"_I'll ask." _ Tinny rattling through the speaker. "_Robin chan knows."_

"Go down Galley La Road and we're in the garage. It's called "The Company". We'll let you in then."

"_Gotcha!" _ Sanji hung up. Sighing, Franky leaned back in the chair.

"Do we call Tsuki?" he asked after a while.

"No, she said not to. She's going to find Ace so we need to wait for her to call us." Chopper turned into the little doll that repeats every instruction by heart.

"Fine." They waited, checked the clock every few seconds, kept waiting. Finally, there was a knock on the outer door. They let the other four in.

"Shitty Marimo shut the fuck up!"

"David Guetta?" Zoro was chuckling. Well, that made things slightly less boring during the long wait for Tsuki, Luffy and Ace.

XXX

Speaking of which, the rescue pair had just turned a corner when they heard strange noises. Giggling noises.

"I wanna know the joke!" whined Luffy, speeding up.

"Oi!" Tsuki ran after him...then stopped short. Turning around, she saw movement in one of the cells. The giggling was coming from there. That wasn't what had caught her attention, mind. What had caught her attention was what looked like a familiar head of black hair.

"Luffy." She called. She ran back...and found Ace kissing. The person he was kissing was wearing next to nothing... The person he was kissing had a heavily made-up face... she could only have been a whore.

Rage flared up in the pit of Tsuki's stomach. It wasn't the kind of rage that feels like a ball of flame. Quite the contrary. It was as though ice had replaced the blood in Tsuki's veins. There was no fighting that kind of rage. And betrayal was aiding and abetting. She walked over to the cell, silently on her black trainers. If you looked into those amethyst eyes, you'd have run straight back home to your mummy. Not bad for a girl of eighteen, eh?

She pushed the door open. The whore must've forgotten to lock it. Too bad for her. The hinges creaked. The pair stopped. The girl was still giggling, but she looked over her shoulder.

Despite all the make-up, she was really pretty. Her hair was in tight ringlets that were almost, but not quite, an afro. Her dark skin, her skinny frame, her jet black eyes, her amazingly well-plucked eyebrows. She was a beautiful whore, it had to be said. Jealousy decided to join in the mix of emotions, and she decided to bring her boyfriend, Hatred.

"Tsuki." Ace was in shock. Complete and utter shock. "How did you...Tsuki!" the girl had grabbed Iris's hair and was tugging mercilessly. The whore screamed, only to be slapped across the face, hard. She stared at Tsuki in complete shock. That was the worst thing she could have done. The pause gave the other girl the time to continue in her mad rush of hatred, anger and envy to beat the bitch to a pulp.

"Tsuki!" Ace was scared. Though she'd been sent to see him many times due to her bad behaviour and her acts of violence, this was worse than any of the pitiful school annoyances. He stood, walked over to his unrecognisable girlfriend and took hold of her shoulder.

She wheeled around, slapping him right across the cheek. "Let go of me!" she spat at him. He had done, out of pure and utter shock.

"Oi!" Oh and Luffy had just decided to materialise at that moment, huh? "What're you doing in there? Let's go already!" Tsuki turned on her heel and stalked towards the cell door.

"Ace!" yelled the younger brother. In a complete and utter daze, Ace walked to the bars, walked through them, tasted freedom, then ran after his brother. He couldn't stay here. Tsuki on the other hand stayed behind for a few seconds, then caught up with them.

When the police finally managed to secure the area, they were incredibly surprised to find a dazed prostitute shut in one of the cells.

XXX

Open air! God it felt like years. From the corner of his eye, Ace saw Tsuki pull out a phone and place it to her ear.

"Chopper? Where are you?" she listened for a while. Then she nodded. "Five minutes. Luffy, follow me and don't lose sight of me, ok?"

The boy nodded, his face seeming to take on the appearance of an orang-utan. Without so much as looking at Ace, Tsuki ran as fast as she could to wherever Chopper was. Ace sighed, this was going to be a long, resent filled, argument. And it was his fault.


	17. Chapter 17

"**Human Rights"**

Eli sat in the car, no, the limousine, going to this uncle's mansion. She kept staring out of the window. The grounds were amazingly large and decorated with gnomes, statues and art work. It was December so all these were starting to get a light covering of the first snow of that year. She had been shocked on being released to know that she'd been in that horrid little cell for almost a month. She shivered. The snow was white. White was bad. White made you go mad.

"What's the matter?" she looked up. The cousin was looking at her, grey eyes concerned. He wasn't wearing glasses now; he'd replenished his stock of contact lenses.

"Ru, leave her, she's probably incapable of speech." Said his brother petulantly. He was in a bad mood. They'd gone and let this girl out. And his father's plans… well, he couldn't go against them.

Eli looked at the blond boy opposite her. "I'm fine, thank you." She said to the other, not taking her eyes off him. "And I'm not incapable." He huffed and glared out the window.

"This is just ridiculous." And he said no more until they reached the house.

The car turned to park at an odd angle on the graveled path at the main entrance. The driver got out and opened the doors.

"Thank you, Alan."

"Ruriiro sama, you're very welcome." The driver smiled gratefully.

Eli got out of the car, thanking the driver as well, then faced the house and felt her jaw slacken. It was huge, made of brick and marble. The front porch imitated a Greek temple. No one in the world could be this rich! Should be this rich and be mayor of some tiny town. Something was up here. Really up.

"Excuse me." The one called Ruriiro tapped her shoulder. She spun around. He put his hands up in a gesture of not wishing any harm. "Sorry," he said. "I just wondered what you thought."

"What I thought? Does it matter?" she was confused, and she had every right to be. In a matter of hours she'd gone from being a hopeless mental case, locked up for life, to a member of this strange family. She didn't even know who she was supposed to be now.

"Of course it matters!" Ruriiro looked affronted. "You're going to live here."

Live here? When the man had said she should be stuck in a mental asylum? Eli had read enough books to know what happened to mentally ill people. The mentally handicapped daughter was locked away. No one could see her. She wasn't allowed out, not that she knew it herself. Maybe that's what they were going to do to her. Lock her up in the attic like Emilia Terlinck or Bertha Mason,or something.

"It's…very grand." She said, her sole intention was to put Ruriiro at ease. "I've never seen anything like it." He nodded.

"It'll probably take some getting used to. If you need a hand or anything, you can ask one of the maids, though if you're really stuck, I'll be willing to help you out." It was her turn to nod.

"Thank you."

He led her to the house; his brother had gone in, ignoring almost everyone. What was his problem? There was a lot going on in this house that Eli wasn't aware of, and she resolved to find out what it was as soon as possible. Which, in this place and given its owner was probably not soon.

"Ruriiro bochama. Lunch is served." Said a sweet little old lady at the door. "It's nice that you've brought a friend for lunch." She smiled.

"Oh, Mrs. Thompson, you've got the wrong end of the stick." He smiled. "This is my cousin. She'll be living here from now on."

"Your cousin? But bochama…your aunt died." The woman looked at him with evident concern.

"I know, Mrs. Thompson. My aunt died in childbirth." He shot a pointed look at Eli.

"You don't mean…" the old woman, Mrs. Thompson stared at the green eyed girl. As did every other servant within earshot. Eli shifted, on the balls of her feet. She was feeling incredibly self conscious. She thought back to her first day of school. Everybody'd stared back then too. But somehow this was worse. Maybe because they all expected something; for her to say or do something. But what!

Someone clapped their hands and immediately all heads swiveled towards the grand staircase. Thank God, they'd found something else to gawk at. Eli looked up and swallowed. It was _him_. She felt herself collide with someone, and looking up realised she'd knocked into Ruriiro. She'd involuntarily taken a few steps backwards away from the figure on the staircase. He looked back at her with a concerned look on his face. She swallowed.

"Sorry." She said.

"s'alright…you alright?" she nodded hesitantly. Nothing'd happened to harm her…yet.

"Everyone!" said the figure on the stairs. They all looked at him with respect. "Let me just say that it is a great joy to be back home, and I thank you all for keeping it in order." Murmurings of gratification started up around Eli. He clapped again. "But." He continued once the hubbub had subsided. "I'd like to introduce my niece." His hand pointed at Eli, who blushed, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. "Mrs. Thompson, did you prepare the room as requested?"

"Yes, Akihide sama."

"Good! Then please, show our guest to her room." The lady took Eli by the wrist and started leading her towards the staircase. Eli didn't want to go with her, but what could she do! She was dragged past the sneering face she so did not want to see and up through passages and stairwells to what could only be called an attic. The old woman took a ring of keys out of her apron pocket and began to search through them for the right one.

"I'm not quite sure what to say, Miss. This is all a big surprise to me, see?" the old woman had dropped the posh tone she'd adopted with Ruriiro and Him. Eli did not know how to respond, so she just nodded. She'd been doing a lot of that recently. Nodding to anything anyone said. It didn't make a stir, cause any trouble, you didn't even need to be listening to what the other person was saying. Just nod and they're happy.

"So you're Sora sama's daughter? That's a relief for the master, I'm sure. He was so devastated when she died… it's unheard of, you know, dying in childbirth. Maybe a hundred years ago, not now, though. No one really understands how it could have happened." She kept wittering on! She found the key, slotting it in the lock.

The subject of Eli's mother was interesting. She'd never known the woman, and yet she knew something interesting lay buried with her, a secret kept till the day she died. Something no one she had known when she was a kid could have told her, but that these people might. If it were at all possible to find a means of having them spill the beans…

They entered a room, the attic. Eli hung back as the woman entered. Attics were where family shameful secrets were locked up.

"I'm glad I was made to tidy the room up!" yes, she was still talking. A woman who wouldn't use three or four words when a couple of thousand will easily do. "This room hasn't been lived in for nearly twenty years…" she looked over her shoulder. "Aren't you going to come in, Miss?"

No, was what Eli wanted to say, but she just followed this strange woman into the room. The slant of the roof cut across the ceiling in a sharp slant. The walls were covered in emerald wallpaper. There was a skylight in the ceiling, a bookshelf in a corner and a large wardrobe by the door. Very expensive, all of it, but none of it made for a cozy effect. Everything was aligned in a set manner; you'd have sworn someone had taken a ruler and measured everything to make it fit with exact precision. Someone with OCD issues. There were no pictures on the walls, no posters, no comfy clutter; nothing that she'd gotten used to at boarding school.

She missed her room at Merry Sunny terribly. She'd had half the room and been allowed to do more or less as she pleased with it. Tsuki's half had been a mass of posters of music groups and actors, all of whom she deemed good looking, hot or cute.

Eli had found sorting her side of the room slightly problematic in that the only thing students weren't allowed to do was paint the walls…and later on a new rule against putting holes in the ceiling had been established when she'd found a shop selling dream catchers and the like.

"You really are a hopeless case!" sighed Tsuki, putting a hand to her forehead in anguish. "Why can't you settle for posters of Johnny Depp like the rest of us?"

"Because I don't want his poster. Nor do I like the look of your Brad Pitt bloke. I want colour!" she chuckled at the memory. She'd sounded like a little brat, hadn't she?

Well, at least the room wasn't white…

"Well, Miss, would you like my help in putting away your belongings?" Eli looked at the ground.

"I have none…I'm sorry…they got burnt." The old woman started flapping her hands in an excited manner and jabbering on about how tactless she'd been etc etc. Eli paid her very little attention. After a while the woman noticed and left the room; saying she'd leave the girl settle in.

Eli nodded, and once left to her own devices, sat on the bed. What was she doing here? What did they want her to do? They'd lock her up here for sure! She'd be trapped in this luxurious prison for life! They'd taken her from her nightmarish cell and placed her in another…

"At least this one has books…" who was she kidding! Locked in a room with, she counted; ten books. Ten books! What kind of life was she supposed to enjoy with those for company? She'd get bored after reading them however many times she could fit into a minimum of fifty years!

"How pathetic!" she looked up. Blondie was in the doorway, leaning against one side and resting his foot on the other. "Lame to the last hair!" what do you say to that kind of statement?

"You even know where you are, mutt?" he asked. She shook her head. He laughed. "You're in her room. Your mother's room." Eli looked around the room with more interest, and slight dismay. Her mother'd had OCD issues. "The fuck's he thinking, putting you in here?" this guy was so mean, it was hard to believe he and Ruriiro were brothers.

"My mother's room?"

"That's right, mongrel girl. Chizu no Sora's bedroom. Like it?"

Not particularly was the answer to that really hard question. But that kind of answer is offensive to a lot of people. She nodded instead. Obviously the wrong answer. Fujiiro was in her face the next second.

"Listen mutt!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Let me make it clear that I don't like you. You have no idea what kind of person Aunt Sora was. She was like my second mother, and you swan in here knowing nothing and we're sposed to "be nice" and work around you!" he smelt odd! Really weird.

"You've been drinking?" that made him angry. It was all he could do to prevent him from hitting her, judging by his fists.

"Bitch! You have no idea who you're addressing!" he chucked something at her, but it missed and hit the bed. "Father said you're to wear it, and I'm happy he did!" he left, slamming the door violently, leaving her nonplussed; blinking with confusion. She turned to look at the bed. It was a choker. One of those things the Goth people at school wore. Well not exactly the same, but it was a similar idea.

She didn't like it at all. But she couldn't go against anyone in this house, or she'd be back in the shrink's office next morning. She put on the uncomfortable band, put on the dress the Thompson lady helped her into and walked down to lunch.

A solemn affair, to say the least. A long wooden table with three seated at one end and one seated at the other. No one said anything, just ate their way through the meal. When it was time for desert, Ruriiro asked a question about his mother.

"She'll be back from her Barbados trip next month." Applause for the longest conversation held in that room. The meal ended, and the others left; she felt deserted. Then Ruriiro tapped her on the shoulder.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked. She looked up at him. He looked trustworthy, and he had been the one to get her out of the cell, but… she'd thought the same of father. Something of what she was thinking must've shown in her face, for Ruriiro then took her by the wrist and led her along a few corridors, opened a large wooden door at the far end of the mansion. He pushed it open, leading her in. She finally managed to jerk her hand out of his.

"What?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

"I can walk by myself." She said, trying to make it look like nothing. She didn't want belittling.

"Oh, ok. Sorry." The kid really didn't have a bad bone in his body. But you couldn't go on appearances, El. Don't be stupid.

He led her up stairs, across landings. "How can't you get lost in here?" she asked after the tenth turn or something.

"I guess I'm just used to it." He replied. "We're here now." He pushed open a door. They had entered a library. Shelves were stacked against each and every wall, towering over your head. There was a fire place on the north wall with a picture above it. It was this picture that caught the girl's eye.

"This is what I wanted to show you." Explained the boy. "It's an oil painting of my aunt…your mother a few years before she died…"

The resemblance was frightening. They were almost identical and that was only if you looked. The real difference was the refined lady in the picture was just that, refined. The girl staring at the picture was brattish and immature, rough around the edges. That was probably why Fujiiro didn't like her… she bit her cheek, hard. She didn't fit in, again. Beside her, Ruriiro was telling her something, but she couldn't make head nor tail of what it was he was actually saying. The words were going in one ear and out the other as she stared helplessly up at the portrait of who she was expected to be like. It was almost disgusting. She had to be perfect like someone she'd never known…

Eli had often thought about her parents. From the moment she found out that everyone had parents and she seemed to be lacking in that respect, she'd made them up. She had been free to choose their appearances, their characters, everything. But she had always imagined them as being adventurous, happy, always taking risks for whatever reason. They'd been like characters from the novels Preacher had read her as a child. She'd drawn them as a child, when she'd turned eight. She'd made up stories of how they'd take her out and they'd see the world. The woman in the picture trashed the dream completely. She never thought it mattered before, that because her parents were dead, she was safe from the disappointment. "Because I have father now." She remembered herself telling Preacher when he asked her what she was drawing. She'd smiled. She never knew a thought could be crushed so easily and painfully.

She felt an arm tap her shoulder.

"You sure you're alright?" she nodded. "Maybe you should try and rest." Another nod. "Here, I'll take you back to the room then." Nod. She let herself be led to the little attic room with green wall paper. She watched as he closed the door, then lay out flat on her bed. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother would have been ashamed of her. Compared to the beautiful woman in the picture, she was a scrawny kid who had not much in the way of manners, graces, heck she couldn't even do half the things the kids in her class could.

She sat up, not wanting to lie down any longer and paced the room. She went up to the book shelf. Titles and names. Big ones. Charles Dicken's "Great Expectations", George Orwell's "1984", books she'd heard of but never dreamt of reading. She'd always been scared that they'd be too difficult to understand. Her fingers trailed the bookshelf, touching the great works of literature, as though they had a life of their own. She picked up a copy of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre".

"Might as well. You'll be stuck here for a long time." She muttered to thin air. Walking to the bed, she sat back against the wall, opened the book and began to read.

Weeks passed. She tried harder and harder to learn how to be more of a lady, but it was forced and didn't come naturally. Mrs Thompson was a great help, and became the one Eli relied on most to try and understand her problems. Needless to say, some of them were simply beyond the comprehension of the poor woman.

"I'm sorry Miss." She said on one of the many occasions Eli'd tried to explain about Robin and the others. "But criminals is criminals and the law's doing a good job keeping them away from our door."

"But Mildred." The housekeeper had told the girl to use her first name, something that did not improve her situation with her cousin, it has to be said. "They didn't do anything wrong. The law was looking for something to go wrong so they could grab them."

"Then it's a good thing they was caught." There was no use in trying to explain the kindness Robin displayed to her students to a woman who was willing to live off the lies of the media.

However, the media had its uses. While eating breakfast in the kitchen rather than the dining hall, Eli caught the breakfast news.

"And news just in, last night someone broke into the state prison. No footage from security cameras was able to catch the intruder, but we hear from police that there is nothing to fear. Our correspondent: Smith Mark reports." Eli watched the newsreel, stunned. Someone had broken into the prison? The police weren't saying whether or not anyone had escaped, but footage showed the women's wing in tatters. She hardly dared hope. Beside her, the maids were in panic.

"Now now, girls." Mrs Thompson calmed them. "We're far from there. No one's gonna come here." And she believed it. Eli wasn't so sure, but she wasn't holding out any hope. It'd be crushed. This was her place. She finished her boiled egg and returned to her room. There was a fascinating puzzle that she was trying to work out.

The books she'd started reading in her room had little annotations. Small comments. One of them "bigger picture." The other "floorboard" seemed to mean something. Like a story book. Well, it could mean nothing, but it was enough to keep Eli occupied and concentrated on something that wasn't horrible. Like the filthy look Fujiiro threw her as she passed.

"Good morning." She tried, smiling sweetly. He responded in kind, but might as well not have bothered for all the warmth the put into it. Pulling a face at his retreating back, Eli walked upstairs, got dressed and sat down at the desk.

The stack of books was tall, but she was just skim reading. And as she'd been doing it a while, she'd sorted out most of the books. She was done after an hour. All she got was a jumble of letters. Ah, life's a bitch. Putting the books back, she felt rather than saw a crack between the shelf and the backing. Something felt weird. She fiddled with it till part of the backing was in her fingers.

"Crap!" she hissed. She broke it! This antique watchamacallit that Fujiiro had told her the sky high price of that she'd forgotten. This headless-chicken panic was soon put to rights when she noticed that there was in fact nothing wrong with the bookshelf. The thing in her hand was a piece of paper, folded to the extreme. She unfolded it.

"_To the extent that I._" she stopped reading. Well, reading something in the middle of a sentence is never a very useful way to understand what's going on. Curiousity flared in her chest. Taking all the books out, she searched each and every shelf for more pieces of paper. When at last there seemed to be no more left for the bookshelf to hide, she opened them one by one and figured out the order. It was a long letter, addressed to someone called Hikari.

Now reading someone else's letter is an offense, but Eli decided after much deliberation that if this letter was supposed to be read by this Hikari person, then it would've been posted, or at least given to her and not shoved behind the racks of a bookshelf. Maybe Hikari had already read it and stuck it there. That meant that anyone who found it was entitled to read it. Well, she was going to.

_Dear Hikari chan,_

_I am sorry._

What for? Eli read the letter from cover to cover. The more she read, the more she was filled with a bittersweet dose of fear. Suddenly, the woman in the portrait wasn't such a great icon of perfection…

This was the final, devastating truth behind her hidden past. The last piece to the long jigsaw. She sat there for a long time, staring at the sheets. Suddenly, the clock struck twelve and Ruriiro came and dragged her downstairs for lunch. She stared at the mushroom soup.

"What's this? Hunger strike?" sneered Fujiiro. "I don't know why we don't just cast her off to West Blue Academy or something, Father. It'll be better for her." For once, Eli nodded.

"I'd like to go." Even school food had to be better than poisoning.

"Fujiiro, you know we can't put the girl through that. Getting gawked at by other girls would be something akin to punishment. We're not going through with that." She was always "the girl" to him…she knew why.

"Excuse me, uncle. May I please be excused?" he nodded and she left, running up the stairs to her room.

"What's wrong?" asked Ruriiro to his father and brother.

"That girl's nuts. That's all." Growled Fujiiro. He was confused. She'd suddenly decided to pick up on his bad mood? Did she understand?

She understood alright. Grabbing a bag, her wallet and her letter, Eli ran out the servant's entrance. She'd never thought of leaving the mansion before. Now she couldn't stay, no matter what. Through the door, no problem. She ran to the gate. There were no guards. Why would there be? This place was out of town, no one came here. So she could get out.

Just as her foot traversed the invisible line between grounds and out-there, a blinding jolt of white pain cascaded into her head. It was coming from her neck. She screamed, then, much to her great relief, fell unconscious.

XXX

The alarm went off inside the house.

"One of the dogs again." Sighed Akihide. "Fujiiro, would you be so kind." The eldest son pushed himself away from the table and his mushroom soup. He came back a few minutes later.

"That new bitch really needs a trainer." He commented.


	18. Chapter 18

Back to the Plot

Morning. Not that you'd know it in the enclosed garage office. All the occupants were asleep. Franky was in the squeaky office chair. The three girls had taken the sofa, thanks to Sanji's insistence and hostile attitude towards anyone who dared complain. After having offered Nami his jacket, Tsuki his shirt and apologized to Robin profusely for having nothing more to offer, he lay against the sofa arm, and tried to fall asleep. Zoro had been asleep ever since they got in, against a wall. Luffy collapsed on the desk and started snoring the moment he made contact. Usopp and Chopper shared the Sogeking cloak and were huddled on the floor. Finally, Brook had also taken up a position on the floor and was enjoying his most restful night's sleep in what felt like ages.  
There was one member of the party who wasn't currently in a deep and peaceful slumber. Ace was sitting in a corner doing some serious thinking. If only he'd held out for another ten seconds. Then he'd have no reason to feel that Tsuki had every right to hate his guts. Anyway, that wasn't the only thing he needed to think about. He had to get back to the gang. Or else they'd send someone for him and either find an empty cell, or see him affiliated with another gang.  
That's who he was with. They'd settled this before going to sleep. Another gang. Luffy'd just asked them to join with his usual vehemence and they'd accepted. Well, considering the fact that they had nowhere else to go, it was hardly surprising.  
"Fine we'll be a part of your stupid gang!" Franky yelled at the kid after endless pestering. "In the morning. Right now I wanna fucking sleep!" everyone had been in agreement, so they'd gone to sleep.  
Ace couldn't. He'd sat awake all night. He'd come to his decision. He stood and walked to the office door. He had to get out of here quick before incriminating anyone else. They were probably sick of that already.  
"Ah well." Said he, walking down the street in one of Pauly's "borrowed" shirts. "Portogas D Ace, consider yourself single."  
XXX  
Tsuki woke up like a bear with a sore head. As usual, she'd woken up extremely early for no damn reason and having slept no more than four hours makes one grumpy to say the least. She checked her watch. Yep, exactly four hours. What possessed her to wake up at 8 am all the time? Fucking boarding school. She sat, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.  
Everyone else was asleep. Oki doki. For the next stage, she didn't need them anyway. Taking a slightly crumpled suit out of her back pack, she went to the small toilet next to the squished office, contemplating stepping on Usopp's nose accidentally-on-purpose. The guy was the ultimate idiotic dick. She contained the urge.  
Time for a sponge bath…something she totally didn't want to do, but had no choice. Couldn't pull this off stinking from here to high heaven. Pulling on the suit and sorting it as best she could, Tsuki did a quick makeup flash job, making sure it looked nice and entered the office again. Robin was stirring, the rest were all out for the count.  
"What are you planning, Tsuki chan?" she asked, out of simple curiousity.  
"I've got to go get Eli. I'm 18 now, after all."  
"Oh?" Robin looked intrigued. " You're going to register as her legal guardian?"  
"I already have, I did it a month ago."  
"Then why the wait?" Robin was obviously tired.  
"Because if I got her out first, she'd have been mixed up with the whole break out. We really had too many people on the case as it was. As well as that, the papers only came yesterday. And at least now, I have an alibi. Preparing a room for my cousin."  
"You have an apartment?"  
"Not as such. Look, I'm really in a hurry, Robin san."  
"Just Robin. I'm no longer a headmistress." The older woman smiled.  
"Robin…" that felt weird. "I have to get her out of there." Robin nodded.  
"See you later. Don't worry, I'll tell the others."  
"They should already know, but knowing them, they weren't listening or have simply forgotten." Robin chuckled, being the head sounded so hard. "Anyway, text me Luffy's plans, this could take a while."  
"Luffy's plans?"  
"He's the leader of this whole thing, I'm just a strategist."  
"I see." That put the immature boy in a new light.  
"Goodbye." Tsuki pulled the door shut behind her and walked down the street. She was absolutely determined that this would work. This had to work. It couldn't not work. It was sound. It had to be. For everyone's sake.  
The clacking of the heals on concrete sounded particularly loud to her ears. It mimicked her heartbeat. Clack clack clack, budum budum budum. For some reason, the lukewarm air felt cold against her cheeks and the wind was toying with her hair as though it knew exactly what she had done, was about to do and was trying to unmask her to the world. Everyone was against her now and all she could do was keep a poker face. She walked past everyone and she felt like the outcast, that one of the grey figures was about to turn and witness the strange red aura that could only be Luffy's marking her as a member of his gang.  
Trying to hide her anxiety, as she couldn't shake it off, Tsuki entered the mental hospital.  
St Vegapunk's was a large, prestigious medical facility, though it was a well known fact that the name had passed down through generations. The doctor had been dubbed a saint because of his wild and obsessive nature when it came to healing the sick, therefore it was quite a popular idea to believe that he was, in fact, possessed. And so it only seemed natural that a long line of Vegapunks now traversed the timeline till the present day, each and every one of them in the scientific world. The current Doctor Vegapunk was a renowned mad scientist and was currently writing a paper on the many ways to combine android and human.  
Nevertheless, the tall building of blackening red brick with a plaque by the door never failed to send shivers down a number of people's spines. Mostly at the thought of the creeps it contained within the crumbling walls. Although it might be old and crumbling on the outside, the inside was modernized: lino floors and tiled walls. Black and white, the lot. It was intimidating and frightening. And that was just the good parts. The receptionist looked slightly schizo, as did the doctors. Even the cleaner in the hall, with his mop and bucket could be suffering from a case of multiple personality disorder. It was the general dead atmosphere that sent chills down Tsuki's spine on each and every one of her visits.  
The receptionist looked up from the paperwork he'd been laboriously pouring over. His bizarrely shaped head was framed by a shock of grizzled grey hair and ornated by a black moustache of the kind people usually wear to imitate Italians or Frenchmen, the swirly ones. His oversized front teeth jutted over his lip in a terrifying imitation of a member of the rodent family.  
"'Allo." He grinned at Tsuki in a Peter Pettigrewian fashion. The badge on his lapel was either in Bulgarian, or he'd just pinned it on upside down. If he had, then you could guess that his name was Wanze.  
Rifling through her handbag, Tsuki held out the official deeds. "I put in a claim as Tziganu Eli's legal guardian..."  
XXX  
"Where!" Franky yelled.  
"I told you, I don't know!" Luffy yelled back, clutching his aching head, Nami had a terrible habit of punching the back of it.  
"You bust us out and we find that we've got no hideout!"  
"Aww fuck's sake shut up!"  
"You Shut up Marimo! Franky's right. We need to find a hideout." Sanji's leg was currently in a block. He'd thrown a kick at Zoro midsentence. "And we have unfinished business!"  
"Now is hardly the time!" Nami yelled at them all. "We need to get out of here! Or else we'll end up back where we started!" she had a point.  
"So where do we go?" asked Chopper in a quiet little voice.  
"Fear not!"  
"Oh shut up, long-nose!" yelled Sanji, who'd had enough of this banal spiel.  
"No really I have an idea!"  
"Oh, it's true! You have a really long nose!"  
"You only just noticed Luffy!"  
"If I might make an observation!" Usopp cut across Nami before she blew his cover; he was still in the Sogeking get-up. "There used to be a ruin on the outskirts of the motorway."  
"Which one?"  
"The one everyone calls the Grand Line."  
"The one that cuts straight across the country? How can it be near there?"  
"It's right by the big hill. They tried to build a hotel there, but the foundations were wrong."  
"Oh, the haunted hotel!" Usopp nearly died.  
"No, Sanji! The foundations were wrong for what they wanted." Franky explained. He was looking at Usopp with a certain understanding. "And no one's bothered with it since."  
"If I may venture an opinion." Robin cut in, breaking the role of silent observer she'd held until that very moment. "But the motorway is public. We'll be noticed within seconds."  
"No, we wont." Franky turned his attention to her. "See, this place was right on the edge of the motorway, out of view of it, concealed behind a hill."  
"THEN!" Luffy yelled. "LET'S GO!" and that settled that matter.  
"Who put an idiot like you in charge?" Franky yelled at the bratty kid.  
"Me, who else?"  
"There's just no way you can handle it!"  
"Who said?"  
"Me!"  
"For the time being!" Nami cut in. "clothes and let's get out of here!" she grabbed the bundle of things Tsuki had provided and stalked to the bathroom.  
"Sounds like a plan." Franky picked up a bundle with his name on it and headed for a corner of the office. As did Brook and Robin.  
"Oi!" Zoro yelled at Robin when she headed for a corner. He was flushing. "Women in the bathroom!" it was laughable. He was being so protective and trying to hide it. Smiling mysteriously, Robin headed for the bathroom, watching Zoro's blush deepen as she passed by him, close enough for her to brush his arm.  
As she entered the bathroom, she saw that Nami was pulling at her hair and almost in silent hysterics.  
"Nami?"  
"She gave me a no sleeved top! A NO sleeved top!" she pointed at the permanent scar that was the Arlong branch's membership badge. "Bitch! Now they'll throw me back in!"  
"I'm sure it wasn't intentional." That caused fits of hysterical laughter from the red head.  
"Of course it was! I mean, she knew! You all know!" she clutched at her mutilated shoulder and dug her nails deep into the flesh. So deep, she was grazing herself.  
Robin sighed and looked into the bundle she was given. A black long sleeved shirt and skinny fit jeans. She offered them to the anguished child in front of her. "Have mine."  
When they exited the bathroom, they noticed that Tsuki was back.  
"Bitch! Why that shirt!"  
"What?" Tsuki looked distracted.  
"ROBIN CHAAAAAAAAAN!" Sanji's legs might just have disappeared. Zoro's flushed face was back again. Nami's bundle had contained a miniskirt and a no sleeved top, and these were very well moulded to the older woman's frame... but enough of that for now.  
"Tsuki chan?" she asked, inquiring about the reason behind the girl's expression.  
The girl with the intriguing eyes sat on the moth eaten sofa. "How long before Pauly's up?"  
"He's tied to the bed, why?"  
"Because I need to tell you guys something."  
"Where's Eli?" Luffy asked, out of the blue, obviously not paying attention.  
"I've got to go get her. I'm not gonna ask you to help me. You'd probably get thrown back in the clink." She stood. "I need to pay my uncle a long delayed visit."  
"What?" Luffy was very confused.  
"He's taken Eli."  
"That's cool! We can get her back!"  
"No Luffy. I'm getting her out." Tsuki looked at the others with a look of steel. "She's my cousin."  
"so?"  
"What do you mean "So?"?"  
"We're nakama. So we're coming with you. No questions!" he yelled before she could open her mouth to interrupt him, with an unexpectedly shocking authoritative air. He grinned "Let's go see your uncle." He sounded like a kid looking forward to a school trip. Spellbound by his adamant words of integrity, the others felt themselves nodding along with him.  
Tsuki clenched her teeth and stood, going towards the window. The idiot. Did he know that she couldn't tell him where to go when he started acting like a leader? And what's more her miserable excuse for a boyfriend had left her. Plagued with these feelings of doubt and trust, Tsuki just wished that Luffy never discovered the secondary purpose behind this trip.


	19. Chapter 19

**Impossible Mission**

"We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" Usopp's knees were rattling, knocking together so loud you could hear them.

"Shut up, Usopp!" hissed Nami. He did as bid, to save his skull.

It's alright, he wasn't Sogeking anymore. To ensure that his cover be kept secret by his fellow companions who had recently been released from their cells, Usopp had left soon after the debate about who was going to rescue Eli, with a long farewell consisting of stupid banalities that next to no one really took serious. That meant that the poor, delusional pair that consisted of Luffy and Chopper both ate up their best friend's grandiose goodbye.

As he left, the two pairs of tear filled eyes overflowed.

"My god!" yelled an incredulous group of voices, comprising of Sanji, Zoro, Franky and Nami.

"He was so good to me." Sniffed Chopper.

"A real hero." Nodded Luffy.

"It was U. OUCH!" Sanji kicked Franky to shut him up. "The fuck." The look that could only mean "shut the fuck up man!" did its job and silenced him.

"Luffy." Zoro started, tone serious and understanding. "Usopp's gonna come back."

"Really!" Luffy punched a fist into the air. "That's..."

"Luffy, we're not letting him back." The other's pulled grim faces.

"What? Why?"

"Because he decided to leave. We cant just let him back as though nothing happened. We're a real band of outlaws now. No room for a snitch who cant make up his mind."

"For once, I agree with Marimo." Sanji said, drawing off the unlit cig. His precious Tsuki hated smoke, so if he was going to stand anywhere near her, he couldn't light cigarettes. They were at a tube station, walking up towards the train above.

"But he's my best friend!" Luffy looked angry. "How can I not let my best friend be part of the group!"

"Luffy! He's a deserter!" there was a stone dead silence. "He can come back if he really apologises."

"What?"

"If he says sorry and really means it." It was like explaining to a five year old. Luffy nodded.

So when at whatever time it was Usopp got on the train and found his friends sitting on the gravelly ground by the platform waiting for Franky to "rent a car" to drop them off at the mansion supposedly owned by this uncle and then drive himself down to inspect the remains of the old landsite, the reaction to his timely arrival shocked him. Mainly the fact that he was greeted by hostile silence.

"Hey guys." I mean, the others knew he'd been one of the rescue party. Nobody looked at him, nobody said anything. He couldn't do anything so he sat down. "Man I'm tired! Quite the run-around, eh?" Ting.

"Damn! I lost my badge!" Chopper looked around for the pin.

"Oi oi, don't ignore me, guys!" ignored. "Guys!" Franky pushed himself up.

"Well, we need to get materials if we're gonna build. Come on guys." The rest followed suit, following the blue haired giant towards the mouth of the high wooden fencing that encircled the decrepit building site.

"Where're you going? Wait up." Usopp felt like he had fallen into some parallel dimension where no one could see him. No one could... "Ah! Am I dead?" Zoro stopped in front of him, head downcast, aura blazing with frigid fire.

"You might as well be." He said, coldly. "Deserters might as well be dead." Usopp's mouth dropped open. Deserter? Him? He'd played a part in that operation of theirs and _he_ was a deserter!

As he stood in his shocked state the others made their way progressively towards the entrance. Luffy's eyes were overcast, hidden beneath the brim of his hat. Chopper's large eyes weren't noticeable either. The rest simply weren't looking at him.

"Very funny." He tried to laugh it off. "Come on guys."

"Dont screw with us, long-nose." Said Sanji around a cigarette butt. His tone of voice wasn't anger, nor was it irritation or any other form of annoyed tone that he'd usually use in this kind of situation. He was merely stating a fact. "You know what you did. We know what you did."

"Enough Sanji." Luffy said, his hand against the wooden fencing. "Let's go." He didn't even look at his best friend.

Bewildered, Usopp sank to the ground. Luffy was leaving him. _Luffy_ was going through that door. The nearest thing he had to a brother was leaving him for dust. Usopp watched as his hand, of its own accord, raised itself after the boy in the straw hat, his mouth forming incomprehensible gibberish. Until...

"I'm sorry!" he called out. The receding figure halted. "I'm sorry! I was an idiot! I'm sorry." For no real reason, tears welled up in his eyes. So much so that he didn't actually see Zoro's imperceptible nod and the next thing he knew, Luffy's hand was in his, hoisting him to his feet. The boy in the straw hat pulled his best friend into a "man hug", tears streaming down his cheeks for no reason either.

"Perlease!" Nami tossed her head in annoyance, gaining dirty looks from Tsuki, who, though she had been thinking something similar, never wanted to hear anything Nami particularly felt like expressing.

And that's pretty much it. Aside Usopp's blatant obvious lies concerning a best friend Sogeking, who swiftly turned into a cousin before either of his poor victims he called friends could notice. With precision he described the events told him by the masked stranger, so much detail it was hard to believe he hadn't actually been present at the time, yet the poor blighters were so caught up in the illusion tailored to their simple imaginations, they believed everything.

So, reintegrated and reinstated, a now supposedly reliable Usopp was having kittens.

"How'd she manage to get messed up in there in the first place?" they were standing right by the kennels. The Rottweilers were not a comfortable sight. Don't get me wrong, they were perfectly comfortable. Usopp was the uncomfortable one, along with Chopper and most of the others.

"Here doggy doggy doggy!" Luffy's hand was stretched through the fence. Nami hit him. "What!"

"What're you doing, cretin!" hissed Sanji, who for once was joining Nami in doing good. As opposed to her doing bad, that is. "If that dog barks we're done for."

"But Chopper can sort that!"

"What?" the poor boy was utterly confused.

"You're gonna be a vet!"

"So?"

"So you're like Doctor Doolaly!"

"You're the doolaly one, mate." Zoro hissed.

"Vets can't talk to animals!" Chopper looked exasperated.

"Just shut up!" Tsuki was jumpy, her eyes everywhere. Her hand was stuffed firmly in her pocket, the other clasping her nunchaku. "Alright, let's go."

XXX

The bastard! The cleverdick! She tried once more to pull it off. The skin around her neck was raw and it was painful to the touch. The stupid necklace wasn't shifting, mainly because it was designed never to come off at the hands of the wearer. Purely because it caused you pain. That bright white light again. She sat on the bed, looking up through the skylight. If only she'd never been caught. Subconsciously, her hand rubbed the slight scarring on her wrist. They'd never really healed properly, but it was disappearing.

They'd locked her up in here. Because she wasn't allowed to escape. They couldn't be doing with the family shame walking the streets. That's what he'd said. Blondy. She wasn't sure whether or not she liked him. After that first dose of agony, he'd told her a lot of stuff. But never in a nice way. She guessed he was trying to help but didn't know how. Still, being a dick never helped anyone. And he most definitely was a dick.

Sighing, Eli gave up. What was she going to do? She couldn't get this thing off bar lopping her head off. And she wasn't too keen on leaving herself with permanent scarring around her neck. Anne Boleyn looks were never coming in anytime soon. She'd never be able to hide a head under her arm. Decapitating herself simply wasn't worth it. And why had Ru's stupid friends had to come to celebrate his birthday three days too early! It meant he couldn't talk to her tonight...

Suddenly, the lights went off. She sat bolt upright. There was panic, commotion coming from under the door. She jerked about in the darkness looking for whoever it was that had her firmly by the wrist and was dragging her out, into the din created by the alarms going off left right and centre. It was like the fire drill, but back then it had been Tsuki who had told her what to do. This time, she was frightened.

XXX

The house was in uproar. Tsuki's heart pounded fast in her chest. She'd dreamed of this for years, planned it. This was the best way in. She'd never planned her escape. But then, she hadn't needed one. And it'd be a minor miracle if any of them got out of here alive. She turned to face the companions at her side.

They'd run in through a gap in the hedge: her, Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Chopper, leaving the other three to scout the perimeter. That had triggered an alarm, as she had expected. The house guards were on their tail. Bruce, Heikido and Felix. The three body-guard types were never far from her awful excuse for relatives. The protectors and personal friends of the family. They called themselves the triangle. Imagination was a large part of their job description, you can tell.

There they were. All three of them. Heikido took one look at the group and quickened his pace. Felix, leader and instigator of the Triangle, ran in the other direction. Bruce was calling someone over the intercom device in his ear.

"Santoryuu" the Bluetooth headpiece shattered in the man's hand under the blunt end of the sword. He was immediately distracted; Zoro turned to face Heikido, who had swung his own sword at the green-haired young man. Two on one! Tsuki jumped and blocked a possible attack from Bruce while the swordsman's back was turned.

"Very sporting." She spat at him. He'd trained her. He'd been the one they sent her to so that she might improve on her self-defence techniques. "Giving the enemy a chance to attack before defending?" she spat his lessons back at him. She saw his eyes widen as he recognised her, but didn't care. Although she had blacked her face and insisted the others do the same, she had refused the contact lenses. She didn't want there to be any mistake in the events that took place tonight. Her violet eyes flashed at her old teacher in a mix of disgust and distasteful pleasure. She released her nunchaku from her belt. Bruce raised a hand...

"How!" thack! "Dare!" thack "You!" thack. "Hit!" thack. "A!" thack. "Girl!" thackthackthack.

For this sudden turn of events to have occurred, we have to look at what was happening to the three who were left behind.

Around the perimeter fence, Sanji, Nami and Usopp had been patrolling. The red-haired girl had been scared, but took this in her stride. She couldn't do fights, but she could keep a sneaky eye out so that they could get away. She needed this bunch of lunatics. And she didn't mind being with them... keep focussed!

"Our Lord art in heaven, blessed be thy name."

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Sanji spat at the lily livered sniper.

"Praying, I'm going through all the religions I know." He replied. "We need a miracle to get out of here alive."

"Right. Sure." Sanji crushed the butt of his cigarette between his teeth; no lighting it.

"I'm serious. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all dead by now. Those dogs behind there looked hungry. And girls don't run very fast..." Sanji blinked.

"The girls..."

"Yeah. I can outrun Tsuki easily. And they're weighed down by their chests."

"Will you shut up!" the culprit with the largest chest hissed at this stupidity.

"Oi!" and she had hit the idiot with the long nose who was making assumptions.

"The guards are coming, let's shift!" she grabbed his ear and dragged him further down the fence. "Keep up Sanji." She called over her shoulder...to thin air. The incensed teen had run through the hedge.

Sanji was currently kicking Bruce's palms with all his might.

"Go!" he yelled at Tsuki, of course an order to escape, but she took it for something else and turned and ran on.

"Stop right there." A girl pushed onto their path. She had blond hair and pretty hazel eyes, and like Tsuki, was carrying a nunchaku.

"Glen!" Shit, this hadn't been counted on.

"Tenshi." The girl flicked the nunchaku, bringing it crashing down on...CRACK...the ground. Robin had pulled her pupil out of harms reach.

"Go, Tsuki." She yelled over her shoulder just as Chopper yelled in shock.

"Tsuki!" a new voice. Or rather a very old voice that hadn't been heard.

"Ruriiro." She looked at the boy, half-hearted holding his beloved rapier pointed at the ground.

"You're attacking us?" he sounded slightly hurt.

"You don't understand." He nodded, raising his rapier. "Ru..."

"I have to act according to what I understand..." he brought his arm down. Chopper brought his arm up to block it.

"Problem with rapiers. The moment it doesn't stick in the ribs, it can be counters with heavy clothing." He smiled. "As long as it holds though." He threw a punch.

"Chopper behind you!"

"Is No one guarding the perimeter?" Tsuki spun to see Usopp aiming his pachinko. She looked to where it was aiming. Jack, Ru's other best friend was about to stick Chopper from behind with his own rapier. The boy got a pellet in the neck and fell unconscious.

"Go Tenshi!" Nami yelled, running forward with her quarterstaff in hand. Tsuki nodded, what else could she do? She couldn't leave without having accomplished her mission. "Get the freak and let's go!" Tsuki wasn't listening, she ran, dragging the fight happy Luffy with her.

XXX

She was still being dragged! Who was it? She tried to pull her hand out of the person's grip. They were in the basement, she was sure. What did he want to do to her in the basement. He let go. Flung her across the room like a stuffed doll. She hit the cold wall. That was going to leave a bruise.

"Well, well, well." That voice! Snake uncle! The light flickered on. Yes, Akihide was standing on the other side of the room, one hand behind his back. There was Felix, the big guy she'd met on many an occasion but never spoken too. He was with them, that's all she knew. He was guarding the door, taking tentative peaks out into the passage way.

"I'm trusting that you wont move." Akihide brought forth his hand. A shiny gun was sitting there, looking as though it belonged there completely and utterly. An extension to the appendage itself. The little black menacing thing forced the confusion in Eli's mind and the words in her throat to watch themselves being swallowed back down her throat.

"It's a shame. First my sister, now my niece. Tragic accidents both." His smile said otherwise. "It was nice having you." His finger pulled on the trigger.

XXX

"You're sure it's down here?" Luffy looked at the dark walls.

"Felix went this way!" Tsuki insisted, running down the basement steps, nearly tripping and plummeting headlong. She jumped the last few. After the stupid fight with Fujiiro...

It had only lasted a few seconds. The Rugby type had blocked her way, a quick hit to the head and he was out for the count. Stupid idiot.

At last! There was a light behind the door at the other end! She ran forward and burst into the room just as the bullet was loosed.

"Tsuki!"

"Eli!" Shit in all the excitement and focus, she'd forgotten about her little cousin. The girl moved, but the bullet clipped the side of her head and she fell unconscious.

"Ah, a bad shot." Akihide made ready to shoot once more.

"No you fucking don't!" yelled Tsuki, while Luffy tackled the giant by the door.

"I wanna fight someone too!" he yelled. "Get ready, big guy! You should be stronger!" Tsuki merely stared at the man with the gun. Or rather, without, she'd hit his wrist with her nunchaku, sending the gun skittering across the dungeon like basement. Bloodlust welled in her throat. She brought the weapon up and hit Akihide in the side of the head, pulling a dagger out as she did so. The old man couldn't move. He smiled. "Tsuki, dearest, let's try and negociate."

"You killed my parents."

"I did, I'll admit, but it was for a greater good."

"What good did it do me." She was furious. She forced the knife right up close to his chin. "what good has it done my brother. What good did it do those poor souls in the hospital?" blood was dribbling down his neck now. She kept pushing, not waiting for an answer. The old man quivered and trembled as he entered his death throes and the room was soon a mess of jibbering. Tsuki stabbed the creature no longer classifiable as a man through the heart.

"Akihide sama!" yelled Felix, but Luffy's upper cut to the chin made him fall silent. He had bitten through his tongue. Blood dribbled down the side of his face as he fell to the floor in death.

Relief flooded Tsuki's veins. She'd exacted her revenge, her justice on the man who had made the lives of so many a living hell.

"Eli!" Luffy was at the other end of the room, slapping the girls face till she woke up. She opened her eyes groggily.

"Luffy?" she murmured.

"Hi." He grinned. "Let's go home."

"Home." She whispered, closing her eyes. "I'd like that."

Each taking one of the girls hand, Luffy and Tsuki ran back through the mansion, past unconscious bodies, picking up their companions as they went.

"Through the hedge! Through the hedge!" Usopp yelled, propelling himself forward through the hole and holding his hands out to help the others. Chopper was the second through, cut up and bleeding slightly, then Nami, Luffy, Sanji, Robin, Zoro... All safely through to the other side.

"Come on, El." Tsuki pulled her cousin through after her. The girl had been little more than a dead weight due to her head injury, but that was understandable. Between them, Usopp and Tsuki pulled her through the hedge. What they hadn't counted on was that the moment her head was through, she sat bolt upright and screamed.

She heaved, tossed, turned like a wild thing, almost standing in the hedge only to fall back down into a foetal position. Her hands curled around her neck.

"She's cursed! She's cursed!" Usopp went mental. "Appease thine ire spirit!" he lifted his fingers into the form of a crucifix, mumbling similar mumbo jumbo.

"What's going on?" everyone had turned at the scream and Chopper ran back.

"Get it off her!" his wide brown eyes showed nothing but fear and alarm. "She's wearing a shock collar!"

When at last the fit had appeased, you could see leaving Neyan Mansions the silhouette of several people, one of whom was carrying a dead weight. They entered the car parked at the bottom of the hill, driven by a skeletal man with an afro and that was the last that was heard of them...till now.


	20. Chapter 20

**Out of the Blue**

They were worried sick. All of them. Franky'd managed to make one room and was currently building the rest of this out-of-town hideout. That room was now almost permanently occupied.

"What did they do to her, Chopper?" Luffy asked, once again showing the serious side to his carefree nature.

The small boy pulled the choker she'd been wearing when they'd tried to help her escape out of his pocket. "It's a shock collar."

A deadly silence filled the old building site. As much as sound can fill an open area. "The kind they put on dogs they want to keep locked up and not have to bother with a gate. As a vet, I'd never even consider it. It addles the dog's brain for a few seconds. Nothing permanent, but it still hurts them. This one having been adapted for humans, who are much less susceptible to pain…well, it's worse in all cases."

He needn't go on. Everyone knew they were seeing the effects of putting electrical charges directly into a human brain. All the spare clothes, all the rags they could drudge up had been made into a bed, well more like a nest, for the wretch.

"Eli must've taken quite a few of these shocks to have turned out like this, then." Suggested Usopp. Chopper didn't seem completely sure.

"I wouldn't like to be definitive about it. But at a guess, three or four."

"From that puny thing?" Zoro looked at the small band with a new worry.

"It's 250 Volts straight through the spinal cord to the brain."

"In other words, pure agony." Robin was feeling the lump in her throat right at this point.

Eli had had a high fever for days now. Delirious most of the time, she'd scream about poisoning and that she'd never done anything. What she was yelling about, no one really knew.

"Well, just got to get on and build the rest of this base." Franky clapped his hands on his thighs and pushed himself up, picking up the tools he'd dropped and went back to patching up the ruin.

Between Robin and Tsuki, they were taking it in turns to act as nurse, while Chopper drugged the girl up to the eyeballs with sedatives so that the delirium wouldn't become a display of violent hallucination. It was up to the two women to make sure she was clean and got enough to eat, their budget not being accommodating enough for them to get glucose IV drips.

"Even when she's asleep she knows how to annoy the shit out of me." Tsuki commented ironically to her teacher. Ex teacher. It was really hard to suddenly change the view you had of a particular person after you already knew them for any stretch of time longer than a month. The elder woman just smiled at the joke and continued with what she was doing. Anyone could tell that Tsuki actually felt concerned about her cousin, and perhaps a little guilty. It had been she who'd dragged her across the line after all.

They all had their jobs to do. Nami had taken it upon herself to turn into the group's interior designer and was getting Usopp and Chopper to help her out buying the stuff they needed to furnish the place, and while they were at it, pick up anything off Franky's list of building materials. These he entrusted to Usopp, who actually understood where the guy was coming from when he asked for plaster board, caulking and everything else that was Greek to the others. Sanji was asked to prepare meals.

"Cos that's the only thing the idiot Cook knows how to do." Said Zoro, only to start a new row between himself and the offended cook. Zoro, on the other hand was stationed as a guard in case the police came back. Since this piece of land had been cordoned off for over a decade, Zoro was a firm believer that no one would bother looking here and spent most of his time asleep.

Brook and Luffy were the odd job team. It was up to them to follow Franky's instructions; mostly stupid things like "pass the hammer" or "hold it straight". It kept them busy.

This ran smoothly enough for a while. A week, maybe two.

It was the beginning of January. Tsuki and Robin were out looking for stuff for their rooms, Nami and Chopper were trying to get stuff for the emergency hospital room they were building. It is a little known fact that all vets can treat humans, but no doctor could ever dream of treating an animal. And Chopper had somehow managed to persuade a local vet to take him on as an apprentice, because "I'm an orphan from the boarding school that burnt down and I don't have enough money to go to another school and the benefits aren't enough and boo hoo hoo." There is a definite positive to being short and chubby…

Franky had finished the general building of another two rooms and had left Luffy and Brook, after a long and torturous tutorial, to paint them. Sanji was messing around with lunch on a makeshift stove and Zoro was snoring away at the entrance, with a hardhat jammed on his head, hiding his luminous green hair. He was a free man, but he didn't need the government asking him what he was doing at the construction site. Or asking to take a look round, for that matter.

That left Usopp to keep an eye on the girl. It didn't happen often, but on the rare occasions where the other two women had to provide for the others, they had to leave someone to make sure that Eli didn't do something unexpected. Since the chances of that were next to none, Usopp was busy fiddling with some of the extra stuff Franky wasn't using. And complaining that he could be doing something useful, but oh no, he had to be stuck here with the drugged girl.

Shooting a glance over at the huddle of rags in a corner, Usopp almost jumped out of his skin. Her eyes were open…

"Don't do that!" he panted, calming his nerves. "Just tell me when you're awake, ok?"

"Sorry." Her voice was like a mouse's. It was harsh because it hadn't been in use for a long while, and so quiet. You would never have thought it was the same bubbly, immature kid from the boarding school. She was paler, and thinner. Her eyes looked enormous compared to the rest of her face. Her brown curls that had bounced on her shoulders when she walked were now lank and straw like because they hadn't been washed properly for a good long while. Usopp couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the girl he'd shared class with.

Struggling, she tried to push herself into a sitting position.

"Oi, wait a sec." he came over, putting a hand behind her back and pushed her up. That's when he realised she wasn't wearing anything… it was all he could do to keep his eyes away from "there". Shy when it comes to girls, he might be, but come on. He's still a teenage guy. And all teenage guys have a strange fixation with girl's chests. Yes, guys, it's obvious. He blushed and turned to look away.

"Do you hate me?" he looked back at her, face that is.

"Sorry?" she didn't answer. She knew he'd heard. She was waiting for his answer. Her eyes were fixed on his face. Sighing, he shook his head. "I don't hate you." Her face contorted into an expression he couldn't quite make out. Then he realised she was smiling! But it was a ghost of the one he'd known before her arrest. This new smile was a pair of pursed lips and only the eyes expressed her true feelings. God, what had she been through? She'd always been the first to laugh at pretty much anything…well not strictly speaking true. Luffy'd been the first, but she hadn't been far behind.

"Thank you." Her eyelids fluttered and next thing he knew, she was asleep again. Her pale cheeks were flushed with fever. He put her down and pulled the blanket over her. Going back to his place, Usopp returned to his work, contemplating the strange few seconds he'd shared with the girl.

And he kept contemplating it.

Lunch was a fairly perturbing half hour. They never stopped for long, mainly because Franky had to get back to fixing this place up and Luffy ate most of the food anyway, no matter how strictly Sanji tried to ration the portions.

"Looks like there's bad weather forecast." Brook's voice came from behind a copy of the newspaper, a note of imminent doom and depression in his tone.

"Well, we have three roofs now." Robin was looking on the bright side.

"Why's it taking so long?" complained Nami.

"Because, Red, building a block of apartments as an incognito for a secret base does not take five seconds. Rome wasn't built in a day."

"That's why it was built at night!" Luffy grinned at the pure logic he spouted.

"Uh, no." Chopper tried to explain.

"If it's raining someone else can go and play sentry, I'm not." Zoro started laying down the law. "Baka Cook can do it."

"Don't volunteer others to do your shit!"

"Please Sanji kun?"

"Of Course Nami Swannn!"

Tsuki looked at Usopp. He hadn't said a word throughout the whole of the break. That was most unlike him. Normally, he'd have been showing off about being the best of something, or something. For the first time, he was concentrating solely on his food. And was it her imagination or was he shooting a few too many glances in the direction of the original room? Smirking, she "finished her food", handing Luffy the rest and waited.

After lunch, each and every person went back to what they had been doing beforehand.

"Just go without me, Robin…" it felt weird not to add "san" to the end. It is an incredibly strange feeling, being equals.

"You sure, Tsuki chan?"

"Yep." She was already following her prey. "Prey". She was just going to mess with him a bit.

She got to the door…well, more of an arch, Franky hadn't had time for doors yet, and popped her head into the room. As usual, Eli was "asleep". Isn't that a brilliant term? Asleep. The way Eli was sleeping, it'd make someone not want to fall asleep again, no matter how tired they were. And telling kids the dead were sleeping…it's traumatizing.

The boy she had followed was staring at the corpselike figure, deep in thought. He sat against the wall, under a drafty window, staring at the weak figure. If Tsuki could, she'd compare her to a mouse, her breathing was so shallow. Enough of that now.

"She's kinda cute asleep." Usopp's head jerked.

"Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"Just sneak up on people. It's not …"

"Not?"

"Decent." Tsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Decency? What has that got to do with anything? Uh, well, never mind." She walked into the room and knelt by Eli's "resting" figure. She fiddled with the girl's hair, tutting about the lack of showers.

"Three rooms we really need: bathroom, kitchen and infirmary." She said, to no one in particular. Then she turned to face Usopp. He was staring again. "The hell's wrong with you?"

"What?"

"You look like you're contemplating something. Don't tell me!" her eyes widened theatrically, then shot towards the almost lifeless body on the floor beside her.

"What?" this was unnerving.

"Don't you dare think of laying your filthy hands on my little cousin." Teased Tsuki, a look of mock horror on her face.

"Get outta here!" yelled the boy. "I'm not like that!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"Or maybe you don't find her attractive. She'll be sad. You don't think she's pretty?"

"I do…wait that's neither here nor there."

"Isn't it?" Tsuki's smirk was of the infuriating kind. "You're blushing! You really like her!"

"Get lost!" it didn't help that he could feel his face burning! After a while she did. If anything else, it made matters for Usopp worse. Now he was staring at the girl with different intentions… when he'd found out she was naked, he'd been tempted to take a peak under the blankets. Now he had to shake off worse thoughts. Unlike every other girl on the planet, she wouldn't, couldn't, say no…

Usopp slapped himself across the face. "The fuck are you thinking!" he scolded himself in a whisper. "That is just disgusting."

Over the next few days, Usopp found himself on "guard duty" for a lot of them. He could have sworn that Tsuki was behind it somewhere along the line, but she was like a fish slipping through his fingers: uncatchable. And somehow, each and every day, the sleeping girl was becoming less repulsive… and Usopp felt the slight concern of a friend towards the other's wellbeing changing into something much more profound. It was worrying.

It was on one of these particular days that Tsuki paid him another drop-in visit. One look at his face was enough to tell her that her seemingly harmless teasing had actually had an effect of some description. Oops.

"Hey, Usopp."

"What do you want this time?"

"Nothing, just want to know what you're thinking." He didn't answer. What do you answer to that? "You really do like her, huh?"

"Not really."

"Liar." She fell quiet. "Why don't you tell her? She wakes up from time to time and is sane."

"I know. And I can't." He said that with an air of finality that shocked the other girl.

"What do you mean "can't"? Too scared of her or something?"

"Hello?" Usopp poked his nose. "Longest nose in the world. Pinocchio, remember?"

Tsuki's eyebrow arched itself again. Had this been the usual Usopp, he never would have dared speak to her like that. Something was going on here. "So you reckon she's gonna reject you for your appearance? Don't you think she'd be more worried about who'd reject her for being a psycho?"

"She's not a psycho."

"There aren't many who'd think that after the news. In fact, I'd say it would be limited to us." She made it fairly obvious that she meant them as a group.

"So, you're giving me advice? You're setting up your cousin?"

"Nope. I'm leaving things up to fate, cos that's what she loves doing." Tsuki rolled her eyes and stood. "I just hate people who have a downer on themselves when the reasoning's stupid."

She left before he could say another word. Looking back at the girl on the bed, Nami had raided Ikea, Usopp fell to pondering. Then decided against everything. She'd asked him if he hated her and been happy. She hadn't told him she liked him. But wasn't that a cliché test to see if you liked them back! It was a real brain teaser. And the only person he could ask, guy wise, who'd know was Sanji…like that'd help.

Sighing, he got up and sat on the foot of the bed, they hadn't had enough money for chairs. What with the part time jobs, they weren't earning an awful amount. He hated all this doubt and uncertainty.

After a while her eyes opened into one of those small moments of wakefulness. She looked around.

"Hello?"

"Here."

"Help me sit up, Usopp." He obeyed.

"You like sitting." What a stupid thing to say. She nodded.

"I won't get better, will I?" she sounded fairly sure.

"Course you will. Chopper's doing a great job. He's talented and all."

"But I won't get better. I don't think I'll leave this room." It was like she knew what was to come. Walking and sitting beside her, Usopp pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Don't talk weird." He chastised her, gently. She fell quiet.

"I wish it could be like this all the time." That settled all the doubts. She liked him!

XXX

Eli looked at the boy beside her.

"I wish it could be like this all the time." She'd like to be able to remain awake and not in the drugged stupor that had been forced upon her. She didn't know she was drugged, she was weak and crazy. The dreams that plagued her wouldn't go away. She didn't want to go back there. It was these strange, lucid moments that allowed her to understand that she was with people she knew and liked. The boy's facial expression developed into a strange mix of many emotions fighting for poll position.

Clumsily, he put his hand to her face. It was cold, and rough, but somehow pleasant against her burning cheek. Still suffering from the after effects of the drugs, everything seemed to be going much slower than it really was. Next thing she knew, his face was upon her in a kiss.

It was a split second decision. The thought went something like this: if I'm going back to those horrible dreams, I as well might follow the line of the nice enough one. She kissed him back. She closed her eyes…

XXX

"Huh!" Chopper sighed with relief, rubbing his forehead with the back of his wrist. It had taken ages, but the infirmary was done. The room wasn't enormous, but it'd do. He looked over at Nami, grinning. It had taken what felt like ages, but they'd done it. She smiled back, equally pleased. It had taken days to clean and then sterilize this place. Then to put all the medical equipment they'd managed to buy and nick off Chopper's employers without them noticing into storage cupboards. For some strange reason best known to himself, Chopper had asked for a cream room and a few bits of wall coloured pink.

"Like Sakura blossom…" it might have been a simple, strange, request, but it also had the added value of keeping Luffy busy for hours and not disturbing anyone. But of course, the boy had messed up and ended painting the wall pink instead. So a cream room with one pink wall. It looked rather cosy. And didn't smell of hospital yet, though it was not far in coming.

"Now we just have to"

"CHOPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!" the small boy jumped, dropping his hat in shock, staring wide eyed at the door.

"What's wrong with Pinocchio?" Nami raised an eyebrow, going over to the door. The only door. They were making do with a curtain for the almost finished bathroom. The infirmary took priority in case someone fell ill. You can't let them suffer in the cold.

Just before Nami's hand made contact with the doorknob, it flew open, narrowly missing her. The girl was so annoyed at having been freaked out by this intrusion, she punched Usopp in the face. She was even more annoyed when he ignored the lecture she started and turned to face Chopper.

"Listen to people when they're talking to you!" she yelled, hitting him on the back of the head.

"Nami! Give me a minute. Eli's not breathing!"


End file.
